Uncertain Times
by Esid
Summary: Just because there is no war doesn't mean that a nation is at peace. A group of people have gathered in Plegia with one goal in mind: kill the Mad King and make Plegia the great nation it once was.
1. Chapter 1: Rebels

_Chapter 1: Rebels_

"Fuck the king." The selfish man had brought the great nation further down the hell hole after the war was over. Driven to madness, he wanted nothing more than revenge even if that meant sacrificing the lives of countless of his own subjects to get it. Instead of rebuilding the nation after being devastated after the many years the so called crusade lasted, he would make it incredibly difficult for the common folk to live a decent life by raising taxes to amass weapons and train soldiers. For those that knew combat, they had a comfortable life if they joined the army. If they didn't, they could just rot like the rest of the low borns.

"Fuck the nobles." To keep their standing and their lives of luxury, they wouldn't lift a finger against the king, even if his demands were causing turmoil in their territories. Their response? To ask the king to help, of course! He would send his newest troops to stamp out any little disturbance that arose. And if there was plundering and rape on the wake of it done _by_ those soldiers? That was fine by him too! It would work as compensation to the soldiers for their effort, right? The common folk had to be glad they got it easy… And of course the lord and ladies wouldn't say anything because they were safe in their castles. Bunch of arses, just watching as everything went down from their high chairs with their guts full of food provided by their people, acting high and mighty.

"Fuck the Grimleal." As highly as they spoke about trying to work towards a future where everyone was equal, they did nothing but pray to their blasted dragon. "Eat me, Grima! Eat me!" Poor bunch of mad men and women, though not more than the king. But because they were part of the church, they had it easier than any non believers or followers of Naga, who were rare on that part of the continent. They could wake up and not have to watch their backs for bandits or even the royal army. What a bunch of-

"Fuck the cravens." The people in power have nothing against the might of their subjects. Ignore those that claim to have power, and they suddenly become just another body. They _all_ had the ability to go up to them and replace them; the numbers were in their favor. But they feared for what could happen to them. They feared that the big bad lord would come down and punish them after they failed. Because there was just _no way_ they wouldn't fail! They had nothing! No, they were happy to give a man a sack of wheat and get back a slice of bread. "Thank you, milord! Gods be with you, milord!" Little sheep following the orders of a dog that was being guided by a blind shepherd.

That was their motto—the motto of the rebels—the brave few who would stand up against the king and his army, and fight against the status quo set upon them. They were all proud, smart, and strong people that came from all over Plegia. Their tactics were less than honorable, being fit for guerrilla warfare. But then, what is so good about honor in the battlefield? A dead man is a dead man, whether his life ends at the end of a sword or at the bottom of a pit. These underhanded tactics and their approach to warfare was what had kept them alive for so long, despite being outnumbered by their enemy a few hundred, if not thousand, times. With barely thirty members, they shouldn't have been able to cause as much trouble as they had for almost two years. What was even more surprising was the fact that not a single one of them had died or even been captured by the royal army. This was not the act of a god. No, it was all because they just happened to have a _very_ smart man on their side.

"To another successful hit," a man raised his stein, followed by the rest of people in the small, tavern hidden inside a cave, far from any prying eyes. They all cheered as they continued their celebration. There were people playing some music, some danced to it in their drunken and joyful stupor. In some corners there were lovers sharing a passionate kiss and/or embrace, ignorant of the people around them. And then there were those that had celebrated too hard early on, passed out on tables or the floor.

The man sat back down with a jolly laugh, happy to see his comrades in such high spirits. The other people sitting at the same table laughed with the man. "I know we should be used to this by now, but it's still amazes me how easy it can be," said the man that wore an attire of a swordsman, a bandana ties around his head. The man was young, not older than ten and eight. He was amongst the strongest fighters the rebels had, but that wasn't saying much. Being self taught had only taken him so far with the sword.

"Don't start acting too confident, Shaw," said the archer from the group that went by the name of Isabella, though they all called her Izzy. She was the one that kept them in check, always scolding the other members, despite being even younger than Shaw, at ten and six, almost ten and seven. The girl wore light leather armor, mostly protecting her right side, as she was left handed. She was rather good looking, though most knew to keep away from her. At best, she would treat the other men as a mother treats their child. At worst, it was like a mean older sister, again, despite all of the men being older than her. "The moment you do, things start going wrong. Be happy that you made it to see another day and leave it there. We don't want to jinx what we have right now. And it goes without saying that this round is on you. Almost got us all killed. You were lucky Cap was there to save your sorry arse."

"Please! That guy? I had it all in the bag!" Shaw hit his chest twice, looking proud.

"You were literally surrounded by army soldiers, Shaw…" She tried to bring him back to reality.

"It was all part of my plan! That way I could swing my sword at any side and hit someone. If he hadn't showed up I would've had an epic story to tell. That guy, I'm telling you- Actually, where is he? Haven't seen him since we- Agh!" He was rudely interrupted when someone hit him hard on top of his head with a stein. To add insult to injury, some of the ale that was in it spilled, landing all over Shaw's hair, much to the amusement of Izzy.

"Keep blabbering, why don't ya?" The stein lifted from Shaw's head. The new arrival joined the others on the table, taking the last empty seat. "You got too reckless. We go into battle to win, not to come back with stories to boast about. You would do go to remember that. Leave the planning to me next time." He took off the tan colored shemagh that was tied around his head and set it on the table, revealing his short white hair.

"Nice of you to join us, Cap," said Izzy. The smile that she had plaster all over her face at seeing her comrade getting hurt quickly turned into a malicious grin. She leaned on the table, getting a little closer to the new arrival. "Had fun with that girl of yours again? You two are hardly subtle. You should think about the rest of us when you two get together. At least take a bath after you are done. I can practically _smell_ it from here." She waved a hand in front of her face mockingly, earning a frown from the Captain.

"Funny," he said. "Last I checked, what I do in my spare time is _my_ business. Hearing Shaw being...well, Shaw, is annoying, but having you get on my arse for something like _that_ is even worse. Can't a guy have some privacy around here?"

"What's the deal with you two anyways, Robin?" Shaw asked as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Don't mean to be insulting or anything, but that girl gives me the chills. Yeah, she's pretty, but come on! She has this aura that says "don't fuck with me" that makes me want to stay away."

"Another bonus to be with her," said Robin as he smirked at the swordsman. "But don't make me repeat myself, Shaw. It's none of your business who I chose to be with." The younger man grunted, knowing full well that pushing the topic any further wouldn't get him anywhere. Robin looked around the place, as he drank down some of his ale. "Where's the old man? He left already?"

"You know he did," said Izzy as she leaned back on her chair, letting out a sigh when she hit the back of it. "We can't keep him around forever. He'll come back, I'm sure. He always does.." Robin nodded. It was true that the old man always came back. Since the rebels first gathered together, he'd come and gone countless times, which was in on itself impressive, especially when he returned with his pockets lined with gold.

The group had a long chat for a while. Jokes were made, mainly at Shaw's expense, and laughs were shared. It was that kind of festive environment that Robin wanted to always experience, though it was hard to do so when their supplies ran low. The younger fellows were drinking much more than him, which he didn't mind, even if they teased him about it. Truth be told, he had a high alcohol tolerance. He could've out drank everyone in that room. But it always left a bad taste on his mouth, which a certain someone did not like.

Robin decided to retire from the tavern after having a couple more drinks. Waking up with a hangover was something he'd learned to avoid after they started attacking constantly. If he was to have an early morning meeting the next day, it was just all the more reason to celebrate in moderation. The others tried to spot him, a lot of the them offering him drinks and what not, but Robin declined. As much as he liked the ale they were having, there was something much better waiting for him back in his quarters.

Like most of the other taverns that could be found anywhere in the world, that one had guest rooms that could be rented out for the night. In Robin's case, he owned one of the rooms, as he'd been the one to discover and then establish the cave as their base of operations. It had it's ups and downs. For one, it gave him complete privacy. As much as Izzy liked to joke about it, sound hardly echoed out of the room. There were also small holes carved into some of the limestone walls that would bring in light from the outside world as well as fresh air. The disadvantage was that it was a cave. It was freaking cold. And making a fire was out of the question, as the ventilation didn't permit it and it would give away their location.

Growing up in a dessert, he wasn't used to cold temperatures. To a Feroxi, the cold that could be felt would be nothing, to Plegians, it was enough to make them shiver a bit. It was pleasant, but bothersome after a while. Thankfully, the alcohol in his system kept him warm. He had to navigate around for a bit before he found himself in front of his door. He entered without bothering to announce himself. It was his own room, dammit! _Home, sweet home_ , the tactician thought as he walked in. Waiting for him was quite a sight, the same one he'd last seen before he left. A beautiful woman laid on his bed rather peacefully. Her long black hair contrasted well against her fair skin, which was completely exposed to him. A smile crept up his lips as he observed her. He felt lucky that he could get to see that every time he came back to that room. It made things more bearable.

He sat down next to her on the bed. Being as delicate as possible, he ran his fingers through her hair and her back. Goosebumps started showing on her skin as he moved further down her back until he reached her bottom, he then repeated the motion again. He could only wonder what it was that Shaw was talking about. He never noticed the aura he mentioned during their conversation. After going through the motion a few times, he gave her bottom a squeeze and then turned away. He was just about to start to unlace his boots when he felt her arms wrapping around him, her exposed bosom pressing against his back, and her breath tickling his neck. His smile grew wider instantly.

"You are finally back, my love," said the woman with that alluring voice of hers that always wanted to pull him in. She bit onto his earlobe and then continued. "To think you would leave when you have _me_ here. I swear, if I didn't feel so attracted to you I would've hexed you many times over by now."

Robin chuckled as he finished unlacing the first boot and then threw it across the room. "I would've loved staying here with you, Tharja," he admitted, "but I have to show face every once in a while after a mission, even if it's just for an hour or two." Truth be told, he would've rather spend his time with her, but with his position as the leader of the rebellion, that was hardly possible "You should join us next time. It's fun."

Tharja clicked her tongue, squeezing the tactician a little tighter like a snake does its prey. "And waste my time with a bunch of drunken fools that do nothing but joke around and piss on the floor? No thank you…" She leaned onto him, moving to a side so that their eyes could meet when he turned. "Besides, the only one I care to talk with is you, my dear Robin. And we can do that and _much_ more when we are in this room, just the two of us." He turned to face her, as she'd predicted, and kissed him right on the lips, biting lightly on his lower one as she pulled away pulling away.

He repeated the process with the second boot once that was off, the item landing just next to its pair. He was looking towards the boots as he let out a sigh. "You do make a good argument…" She wasn't entirely wrong. Just a week ago, after their celebration, someone did piss on the floor of the tavern. He moved her hands away to remove his shirt, revealing his toned body from the many battles he'd fought even before becoming a rebel—during his time as a mercenary. Tharja took this as a signal to strike. With a smirk, she moved herself to straddle the man, her arms wrapping around his neck. He couldn't help but stare at her curves. Her breasts were at his eye level, it would've been _rude_ to look away. He slowly moved his gaze to meet her eyes. He pulled her in closer. He could see her mouth opening just slightly before their lips met again. They quickly melted into each others', with her tongue making an appearance too.

The two parted for a moment. "When you put it like that," he mumbled. "Who am I to argue?" With a quick movement that would've only been reserved for battle, he picked her up and tossed her on her back on the bed. Her chuckle was like music in his ears, like an invitation to continue their dance, though in a more full contact way. He crawled on top of her, pinning her down. She had her hands on his back, already clawing at it, just adding more marks to the ones she'd left there during their earlier session together.

Once more, he kissed her passionately. So much so that the dance the small candle's flame was doing was nothing compared to what was going on between their lips. She lightly moaned as they continued, her hands clutching his hair. He separated their lips, much to her displeasure, but when she felt them on her neck, she purred again. The tactician knew more than just battle. He slowly moved down her body, moving from her neck, to her clavicle, to her breasts. He fondled with the other as he kissed and licked at her nipples. But he hand to keep moving downwards, towards the valley of her naval. He teased her by pushing her tongue against it, her hands clutching his head even harder still. That gave him time to move his hands to her thighs and spreading her legs apart, which she gladly did, knowing full well what was coming next.

She hummed in pleasure as his lips kept moving down. He quickly reached the small fuzz of black hair she'd grown as of recent. He didn't particularly mind it. It made her look that much more mature. So he moved through it and onto her nether regions, a gasp quickly escaping her at the first sensation of her nectar being licked off of her. He could feel the motion of her back arching and her toes curling as he continued to pleasure her. He grown to know just exactly what it was that she preferred when it came to cunnilingus. Hearing her moaning and accelerated breathing only made him all the more eager to continue, and in return she called out her name in between moans, over and over again.

He knew what would happened when she squeezed his head in place with both her hands and her legs. He didn't try to fight back, instead, gladly receiving her juices as she climaxed. It was like a badge of honor, being able to satisfy the woman he loved like that. She lost all her strength, going limp for a second and releasing him as she tried to catch her breath. Meanwhile, he cleaned his face off using his hand before removing his trousers to join her in her nakedness. She got revitalized at seeing him completely exposed, crawling over to him. Not wasting time, she wrapped her hand around his erect member and starting reciprocating the pleasure he'd made her feel. Her lips found his once again and the two shared another passionate kiss between moans.

Without saying a word, she turned around, presenting herself to him, as she crawled on all fours. A small drop of her juice falling down onto the sheets from her labia as she pushed out her arse in the air for a better entry. He inserted himself into her in one swift thrust, her gasping in surprise. That was the position they would normally take. She would rarely let him see her face when having sex, as much as that bothered him. Still, it didn't make for a bad fuck. To change things up, he raised her torso, her back hitting against his front. To prevent her from moving away, he wrapped his arm around her neck, securing her in position by clasping onto his own shoulder. He could hear her excitement as the rhythm of her moaning changed. She got a hold of his wrist with her left hand, but didn't pull the arm away, instead just holding it in place. Her other hand guided his to her clit, eagerly moving his fingers to add more to her pleasure. And with every thrust he did, she would move her hips too, almost dancing.

He could feel his heart racing. Her face was flushed, or at least it felt that way from the heat radiating from her cheeks. Like that, the two continued until the very last moment, when he pushed himself as hard as he could and his seed was released inside her. A moment went by with neither of them making a move. Then finally both of them dropped their hands, being able to separate to one another, and flopped onto the bed next to each other. She slowly rolled over to partially cover his body, something she didn't often do. Tharja wasn't much for cuddling. Though she never rejected his shows of affection, she wasn't much to initiate them.

"We couldn't do _that_ with the others around, could we?" Tharja asked teasingly, her hand gently caressing his other side. He did a similar gesture with the arm that was behind her. He gently set it on top of her waist, moving down to her waist and then back up.

"Technically we could," he joked. "Though I don't think how well we could perform with such an audience nor if they would be grateful to us for the little show." The two of them laughed in unison. With his free hand, Robin was able to kill the candle, leaving the lovers tangled in the darkness.

"We should leave Plegia," she told him. "Just the two of us… Go and explore the world, away from this damned place."

Coming from anyone else, he would've frowned if not lash out after hearing the phrase of leaving. With Tharja, he did understand the meaning behind it. Though the darkness wouldn't show it, he had a melancholic smile on his face. He wouldn't want anything more than to stop fighting and live a peaceful life. To get married, have a kid or two, and grow old with the person he loved. But that was hardly the time for it. "Just give it some time, love," he reassured her. "I can't just up and leave like that. Once we get the Mad King off his throne, we can travel anywhere and everywhere we want."

"I will hold you to that," she told him. "And if you decide to die before that time comes, well, I will make sure it's a painfully slow death. A hex here and there should act as incentive to keep you from foolishly going into battle."

"Duly noted, dear. I love you too."

The next morning the two woke up early, as the room was completely lit from the light coming through. As per a certain archer's suggestion, Robin decided to take a bath, courtesy of one of two hot spring situated deeper within the cave. One was only meant to be used to bath and to clean clothes, while the other was used for water to be used in cooking and drinking. At that time in the morning, there was no one else at the hot spring, which allowed the two of them to enter it together. Having a repeat of the night before was very tempting, especially when seeing the slight glistening of each others' bodies from the water, but they were in too much of a hurry to have time for it. Still, it was a moment of privacy they could share, which were far and few in between.

Together they entered the tavern, where they were greeted by friendly faces that had gathered for breakfast and to have a say on the rebels' next move. Right smack in the middle was a big round table that had books, scrolls, and maps piled on it. The tactician and the dark mage headed right for it. Some of the seats were already taken, notably by Shaw and Izzy, who were arguing about something when they approached.

"I'm telling you, we should march right up to the king's castle and just take it," Shaw said, noticeably irritated by the back and forth. "It'll be easy! One swift move and we can end it all!"

"I heard you the first time, numbnut," Izzy said, just as irritated with the swordsman's argument. "We have fifty able bodies on our side. _Fifty_! That's including Cap and taking out the old man. What do you think are the chances of us getting anywhere close to the castle? Let alone the king? Are we supposed to march there and just tell us to take us to him? It's a death sentence, if I ever saw one."

"We are not storming the castle," Robin said as he and Tharja took their seats at the table. "We aren't going anywhere near the capital any time soon. We don't have the men nor the coin to do so."

Izzy pointed her open hand towards the tactician. "See? Listen to Cap! For once in your life try to _think_ before you speak!"

"Agh, that's enough out of you," said Shaw as he turned to face Robin. "Come on Robin, you know full well that we are getting nowhere as it is. We should go all in and try and get what is rightfully ours." Izzy snickered to his side, slowly shaking her head.

"And gamble with all our lives in a battle with odds overwhelmingly in the enemy's side? No thank you," Robin said as he tapped his fingers on the table. "You are welcome to go by yourself, but if you think I would let you endanger the life of everyone because it would make a good story, you are sorely mistaken." Shaw flinched. "We are here to discuss our next move. It's good that you had a topic in mind to discuss, but I'm glad that I shot it down before the rest of the people get here. The old man won't be here this time, so we are only missing one more before we start."

"Right, the money-grabbing merchant."

"The who?~" An ever playful voice came from behind Robin was sitting. He turned to see the owner of the voice, smirking. The woman was dressed in the red clothes that were so characteristic of her. Her long, red hair set on a ponytail moved from side to side as she walked closer to the table. She smiled at Shaw, a finger on her chin to make her look that much more innocent.

"Speak of the devil. It's good to see you, Anna," said Robin. "You always seem to come here at the right time. I worry about poor little Shaw here. You'll give him a heart attack."

Anna laughed as she walked to her seat. Plopping herself down, she leaned closer to the table, resting her chin on top of both her hands. "That would be unfortunate. He comes by and purchases so much from me. I would shed a single tear to see such a loyal customer pass on." She fluttered her eyelashes at the swordsman, getting a grunt back from him in response. "But on to business. We are ready to start, no?"

"Let's do it then." Robin coughed into his fist a couple of times, getting the attention not only of the people sitting at his table, but of the others around them. People began shushing each other until the entire room was quiet, all eyes on the five seating on the round table. "As you all know, we completed another successful mission yesterday. We got enough supplies to keep the cooks busy for a while." There were a few small cheers around the crowd.

"Not to mention all that beautiful, brand new gold coins!" Anna looked the most cheerful as she said that. "I can't wait to get all of them in my pocket."

"What makes you think you'll get it all?" Shaw questioned. "That money is for the rebellion, not your personal account."

"That's because a certain someone didn't get the right information and we ended up attacking the convoy that only had _some_ gold but no weapons," Izzy said. "We are running low on weaponry and armor. Anna has been kind enough to set us up with some deals to keep going. She is getting the hefty portion of that gold."

"Top notch merchandise for my favorite customers~"

"That brings us to the next topic of discussion," the tactician said, "our next move. As we all know, we've been doing good since we started our operations. Not a single time have we failed, and our numbers and contacts are slowly increasing. That being said, we are at a stalemate. We can continue doing what we are doing, but as we stand, we won't make much progress in beheading the king. We just don't have the numbers."

"Are you suggesting we withdraw?!" Shaw got up of his seat. "What the hell, Cap?!" The people started whispering in the background.

"Quick to draw conclusions as always," Izzy said under her breath.

"Peace, Shaw. I'm not saying that. I'm pointing out the obvious. Only a blind man wouldn't see that we can't do much more. We call ourselves rebels, but other than not attacking villages, we are no different than a group of bandits. If we want to continue and ultimately reach our goal, we will need more men."

"But to get men you need a lot of gold, not coppers," said Anna.

"So what are you saying then?" Shaw asked.

"We have only one buyable option. We need money and we need men. We need an alliance."

"An alliance? But with who?" Izzy asked.

"We could convince the Ylisseans to help," Shaw suggested. "It's their fault that we are in the position we are in this position in the first place. They should take responsibility for what they caused!"

"You sound like a teenage girl trying to convince her first sexual partner to stay with her," said Tharja."

"Not even girls ask guys to take responsibility anymore…" Izzy said, a little disgusted.

"But the Ylisseans? Please," Tharja rolled her eyes. "They disbanded their so called army after the peace treaty was signed. They won't risk going into another conflict when they can barely keep the peace in their own nation. All they can offer us are some petty words of encouragement and their condolences."

"Fine. The Feroxi then? They have many warriors over there."

"Didn't you hear coin-bag over there? Ferox is full of men willing to fight...for a price. We don't have enough money to spare on sell-swords."

"What the fuck, then? Those are our only neighbors! I sure as hell don't want to get in bed with some bandits from around here. They'll slit our throats while we sleep!"

"There is one more neighbor left," Robin said as he stood up. Using one of the knives meant for cutting meat that was on the table, he stabbed the map that was in the middle of the table. "That's where we'll get what we need." Everyone but Tharja leaned on the table to take a closer look.

"Chon'sin?" Izzy read out, confused.

Robin nodded in confirmation. "I have it under very good authority that Valm is in a state of war right now. A man by the name of Walhart is slowly conquering territory over there. Many have tried to stop him, but they are overwhelmed by his numbers. The leader of Chon'sin, however, refuses to take the knee. He has thousands of men at his disposal, but little to show as far as progress in stopping the Conqueror."

"I don't get it…" Shaw just looked more confused by the second.

"I'm proposing to send half our forces to Chon'sin and to say hello."

"Wait, I thought we were the ones that needed the help."

"Won't you shut up and let him explain?" Tharja said, her brow furrowed at the younger man, who quickly quieted down.

"It's a perfect example of "we scratch your back, you scratch ours,"" the tactician said. "If we help them defeat Walhart, we can get an army on our side large enough to defeat the Mad King. We could even recruit more people to our side if we liberate some of the smaller nations along the way."

"But why would we only take half our forces?" Izzy asked. "Wouldn't it be better to keep our numbers together."

"If we do that, we won't know what we'll be coming back to. The ones that stay behind will be acting as our sleeper agents. They will go on with their normal lives and gather information for us and keep exchanging information with our contacts. We will also need them to spread the rumor that the resistance is gone for good. Gangrel will be relax and pull his defenses after a while without any attacks. That will make things easier for us once we come back."

"I like the sound of it all," said Anna, nodding twice. "We'll need a boat if we are going to cross the sea. A big one. I know a couple of people that can get us one for cheap."

"That won't be necessary. Why buy one when we can steal one?" A few eyebrows rose at the notion. "Plegia has the largest armada this side of the world. By the time anyone notices that one of the ships is gone, it'll be too late. We'll be be days into our journey west. That will also leave us with some gold to act as a buffer, in case we need any more supplies once we land."

"I do know a few people we could get deals from in Valm…" Anna said to herself. Already coming up with ways to turn a profit for herself, Robin noted.

"So, who else is leaving and who is staying?" Shaw asked. "I say "who else" because it's clear that _I'm_ going."

"I think it's clear that the five of us are going," said Robin. "That leaves twenty spots open. I'm not going to force anyone to come. I know some of you have families that you rather not leave behind, so this will be entirely voluntary. If you want to fight, and see some of the things other nations have to offer in the process, then you should take this as an opportunity to do so. But you're not getting much time to decide. The window for us to take a ship is small and it's a day and a half from here. That means you have a few hours to make your decision. If you decide to come, pack your things and meet up by the entrance at noon. That is all." The rebels scattered around them, but the five leaders remained seated. The first one to get up was Anna.

"Well, time for me to call some favors and send my wares to Chon'sin," she said. "I will see you all later." She waved goodbye at them and then disappeared in the crowd.

"I should get packing too," said Shaw. "I wonder what sword I should bring this time…" Asking the important questions, he left the table, heading towards his personal room.

"Are you sure about this, Cap?" Izzy asked. "I mean, sounds risky… The odds don't sound too different from us going for a frontal assault at the castle…"

"There's a big difference. In Chon'sin we will have allies. And the battles there have better odds. Walhart's army is only five times bigger than Chon'sin's. I'll go five to one over one to a thousand any day of the week."

"I hear ya. Okay then, I'll go pack too. See ya at noon." Izzy got up and walked the same line Shaw had, towards her room deeper into the cave.

With everyone but him and the black mage gone, Robin turned to look at Tharja, a big of a smirk on his face. "So what do you think, love? I know it's not exactly what you had in mind, but we get to advance our cause _and_ travel the world together. Two bird with one stone, I'll say!"

"It would've been better if it was only the two of us…" Tharja said, giving him only a side glance. She always avoided direct eye contact when she was upset. He found that to be very cute.

"Ah, come on! If it was only us two, I don't think the nobles of Chon'sin would've promised much. A small company of armed forces is better than a pair, no matter how good that pair is."

She let out a long sigh. "I suppose it will do for now." He knew she would budge. She hated the cave to begin with. Traveling around, even with a group, was a more attractive option to her.

"Splendid!" He brought her head closer to his and kissed her on the cheek. "Now come! Everyone had their fill of breakfast but us. We can pack once we are done."

That meal was one of the better ones the tactician had had in some time. It was much sweeter knowing that it'd been made with supplies that some lord had worked hard to obtain. Even if the rebel chefs weren't world class, they knew their way around the kitchen. If he wasn't already with Tharja, he would go right up to one of them and ask for their hands if it meant he could eat something like that every day. It's as they say: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Not that he would ever tell the black mage that. She was a good cook, but she could be very possessive and jealous about him, which was why he always made sure to praise her cooking whenever she did decide to make him something.

Before long, the two had already finished their meals and headed back to their (Robin's) room. The packing went smoothly. Apart from their clothes, they each packed some personal items. Tharja was taking some tomes with her as well as a variety of ingredients she could use for her hexing work. Also, a simple silver bracelet that Robin had given to her as a birthday present. Robin on the other hand didn't have much to take with him. He had put on his armor, which was lightweight iron plate and leather. On his left forearm he secured a big shield that featured a sword scabbard, in which his blade of preference rested. His final touch was his shemagh , which he quickly wrapped around the top of his head. His pack only had a couple of books that had some records in it, and that was about it.

Carrying his and her things, Robin guided Tharja over to the meeting point. A dozen others were already there waiting for them, much to Robin's surprise. They all looked eager to come on the trip too. They were some of their best fighters, mages, and healers too, which he was thankful for. Others came soon after, including Izzy, Shaw, and Anna. In the end, they ended with twenty two members, just short of half the company.

"Okay everyone, listen up," he called for their attention. "We will be marching north-west towards Law's End. It will take some time to get there without horses, which is why we will be departing immediately. We won't be stopping until nightfall, so you better have your waterskins ready. Tomorrow morning we will also wake up before sunrise to cover good ground under the cover of the black sky. Don't goof off and get lost!"

The next eight hours were full of walking, more walking, with more walking on the side. Luck was on their side. Not once did they see a patrol or a single band of bandits during the whole travel. That didn't stop them from taking precautions, like taking roads that could easily conceal them rather than the more open ones. There was also no complaining from anyone. They were all in high spirits, maybe a little drunk still from the prior night's celebration. The hardest part of that first day was finding a suitable spot to make camp. They'd all ran through their water supply pretty quickly and they would need to refill them before the march the next day. Their throats were also all parched, which made them want to find a water source all the more. In the end, it was Tharja who guided them to one after casting some sort of hex on a stick that would have it point in the direction of the closest body of water. That earned much praise from the others, but she didn't care about any of them except for that of Robin.

Thier camp was nothing luxurious. They didn't even have a single tent to use. Most had brought bedrolls, which they were using to get some shuteye on the ground. Those unfortunate enough to have not thought about it had no choice but to sleep on the grass. The few that were still up had made a fire pit with the help of one of the anima magic users in their ranks. The fire not only kept them warm, but helped them cook some salted meat that they'd brought with them. Robin acted as the cook, making everyone his special bear meat kebabs. They were all so hungry that for the first time ever, not a single one of them complained.

Robin was happily eating his portion as he approached Tharja, who was already on her way to cast a hex of some sort. He was biting onto a piece of the bear meat when he sat down next to the black mage, who was undisturbed by his sudden appearance. He extended the second kebab he was carrying. "Here, have some," he told her. Without turning to look at him, she grabbed it out of his hand and started nibbling on the meat. "What you working on?" Robin asked as he took a look at the many ingredients that she'd laid in front of her. They'd been together for some time, and still he never knew any of the basics of hexing.

"Give me your hand," she demanded.

Robin did as he was told, extending his free hand to her. Before he could even ask another question, he pulled out a dagger and made a cut across his thumb. "Hey! Give me a break! If you are going to do that at least have the decency of telling me beforehand." She squeezed some of the blood onto a small plate. When she was done with it, she put his thumb in her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it and sucking any of excess blood that was coming out. It was both disturbing and arousing.

"The saliva will keep it clean," she told him once she let go of his hand. She ate some more of the bear meat before and then continued with her work. Robin kept some pressure on his thumb to stop the bleeding while watching her work. So many ingredients went into the mix that he lost count of them. He couldn't even name half of them. She finished by pouring the contents into a clear glass bottle, sealing it with a cork, and finally handing it over to him. He took it, having had finished his meal, and looked at the contents in it, which had turned mostly clear. The very top of it had some sort of foam formation that reminded him of a cloud.

"Pretty," he said, still not understanding what the heck he was holding. "How do I use it?"

"It lets you see if there will be any climate change in the area," she said, deadpan. "See how the liquid is clear and there is some foam at the top? That means it will be clouded tomorrow for the next few hours. If the foam turns dark and the liquid hazy, that means you should expect rain to come.

"If you are planning on stealing a ship, you better know what is waiting for you," she finally said.

"Ooooh, neat!" She rolled her eyes at his description of her work. "That will be very useful tomorrow night! You are incredible!"

Tharja chuckled as she moved closer to him, running a finger down his torso seductively. "Then maybe you should give me," she licked her lips, "a reward." Robin was about to answer when someone else took it from him.

"Not when we are in earshot, thanks," came the voice of Izzy from a distance. "I want sweet dreams, not living nightmares." That girl's senses were too crazy. Such a cockblock. Robin sighed and Tharja clicked her tongue.

"Another time then, love," he whispered to her.

"Just another promise to add to the list…"

"Hey, if you collect ten, you get a price!"

Ignoring the joke, the two of them packed up all the ingredients back into Tharja's bag. The two of them had brought only one bedroll, even after Robin had reminded her to bring another one. He couldn't pretend to be mad at her, though. He knew she had done it deliberately and he'd done nothing about it when he noticed her pack ready but lacking the item. He honestly liked having her close to him when going to sleep. It was soothing. He'd grown to yearn for her body heat at night. He wrapped his arm around her to bring her close as they spooned. It was great, but she kept teasing him by rubbing her behind against his crotch, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

The first one to wake up was Robin, as always. The sun hadn't even showed itself yet. The fire had burned out hours ago, leaving the party in complete darkness. All that could be heard was the swaying of tree branches as the wind blew and the snoring of some of the other rebels. Tharja, who had somehow ended up with her head on his shoulder, was the next one to wake up. Robin did not hesitate to kiss her lips. To him, it was a good way to start off the day. Also, it always lifted the spirits of the black mage. Starting the day like that would mean that she wouldn't be as cold to him or the others for a few hours, at least.

After quickly waking up all the others, they set off under the cover of the night, trying to cover more ground. Their plan remained unchanged. They were to reach the harbor close to Law's End by nightfall. To do so meant that they wouldn't be able to stop for more than fifteen minutes at a time. They couldn't afford to lose the window of opportunity that Robin had planned around. That meant they weren't going to have time for meals either, which irritated the others, though they were understanding enough as to see why they had to skip them.

And so the group kept walking hours on end until they finally had their destination in sight. By then the sun was already setting, painting sky red and the sea white. The different ships on the harbor stood out as black figures. Robin could spot four trade ships, each of which had a flag of a different nation on them, and six royal navy vessels. They all looked ripe for the taking. Few guards would patrol the harbor during the day. During the night, they would hardly bother with it. That's why Robin wanted to hit one of them after the moonrise.

"Which one are we taking then, Cap?" Shaw asked as he stared at the harbor. "Tell me that we are taking that large one over there." The swordsman pointed to the largest vessel on the harbor, a carrack that dwarfed the other ships around it. It was tempting to go for that one, as it would be full of supplies.

"If you all had more experience working on a boat, then we could," Robin said. "That's too much boat for us. I was planning on grabbing a galley. With just one mast, it would be enough for us. Plus, it's a lot faster than a showy ship like the carrack. We could blend in easier…" The swordsman sighed in disappointment. "That being said, now that we are here, I think a caravel would be much better. It's the best of both worlds. Pretty darn fast for a ship its size. They also have a big storage space, sleeping area, and captain quarters."

"You just want a room of your own, huh?"

"If you know how to navigate around at sea you can take the captain's quarters, by all means."

"How the hell do you even know how to do that?"

"You pick up a little bit of everything when you work as a mercenary for as long as I have. If you think I know a lot, imagine all the tricks the old man has down his sleeve. He's twice about twice my age and has been for three times longer than I have."

"Don't worry about it, Shaw," said Anna as she moved closer to them. "We can have fun too under the decks." Shaw's eyes widened as his cheeks started flushing. The kid was so easily flustered when it came down to matters like that, something everyone knew. "Yes. So. Much. Fun~"

"W-W-What are you talking about, woman?!"

"I brought cards with me!" The merchant teasingly put a finger on her chin, pulling lightly on her lower lip, stuck out her tongue, and winked at Shaw. "We can even bet some of the money we got on the last mission. What do you say?~" Robin laughed out loud, which only embarrassed the swordsman even more.

"Screw you guys. Call me when we are ready to move."

"Awww, don't be like that! Come on! I'll give you a discount next time you come by, okay? Buy seven items, get twenty percent off on the eight."

"What the hell kind of discount is that?!"

With Anna chasing after him, Shaw left Robin to go hide himself. Meanwhile, Izzy and Tharja had made their way towards the tactician. He didn't have to explain to them what had happened. Shaw's yells in the distance was more than enough for them to know. Robin explained to them the same thing he had to Shaw about which boat they would be getting.

"How does it look, Cap?" Izzy asked. "Are we getting our boat tonight or what?"

Robin nodded. "Looks that way. There's even less guards here than I would've expected. We'll go in silent. Slit some throats and throw the bodies to the sea. That will buy us more time to get as far away from shore as we can." Remembering Tharja's present, he took out the bottle he'd gotten the night before. It looked like they would have clear skies for the time being. "We won't have to worry about a storm for some time either."

They had nothing else to do but wait. Robin took advantage of that to clean his armor and sharpen his blade, as did many of the others. The mages, like Tharja, and healers made sure that their tomes and staves were in order too by casting smaller spells that wouldn't give them away. When they were finally ready, they moved into position by some shrubbery that was near the pier. They remained motionless, staring at the different guards that would come and go. The merchants that the other ships belonged to had been long gone, probably by Law's End, where they would sell their wares. For that Robin was glad. He would never kill a bystander, but if they were seen it would put them that much more at risk.

Finally, the time came for them to take action. The coast was as clear as it would get, with only a small group of guards making rounds on the pier. Robin signaled for the operation to commence by jumping out of cover and moving forward, sword in hand. He kept his shield in front of him, in case there was a surprise attack coming his way. To his left, Shaw moved also with sword in hand, holding it tightly and close. To his right, Anna was walking more sneakily than anyone else, as if she was used to it already. Behind them was Tharja, who held her tome close, ready to cast one of her spells on any unsuspecting scum that got on their way, and with her was also Izzy, bow and arrow ready to be used. The rest of their numbers trickled behind them, trying to keep a safe distance to one another, but close enough so that they could run for aid.

They navigated their way around the many ships, passing them without giving them a second glance. They knew which one they were taking. The caravel was at the very end of the pier, and as luck would have it, the guards were all there, gazing out to the sea, chatting with each other. There were four of them. It would be no problem to take them out. Robin gave a signal to stop by lifting his sword. Without saying a word, he looked behind him and pointed his sword at three of the guards. He heard the sound of two bow strings being pulled and the pages of a tome fluttering. He nodded at Anna, who answered with a nod of her own. The two moved closer to the group, leaving the others behind.

It only took three seconds. Two arrows flew by, hitting one of the guards on the neck and another on his left breast. The two that remained standing didn't get a chance to scream. Both Robin and Anna ran to them. The tactician covered the mouth of his target with his left hand to prevent him from alerting anyone. The man was too stunned to defend himself. Using his sword, Robin slit the throat of the man, blood immediately pouring out of the wound. The man's hands tried to keep his neck together, but he was already choking with his own blood. The other man was still standing was reaching for his sword, anger in his eyes, but he never got to take out his blade, as a purple mist enveloped him and crushed him to death. Robin quickly got a hold of the man's lifeless body with his sword-hand, not an easy task when he was still holding his weapon.

With the enemies dealt with, the others quickly moved into the ship. Anna was holding onto the two men that had been taken out with the arrows. They couldn't leave much more evidence behind. Trying their best to prevent a loud splash, they both dropped the four bodies into the water, letting them sink slowly to the bottom because of the weight of their armor. The two then boarded the ship using the wooden plank that extended from it, which was pulled back into the ship once their feet had touched the deck. He ordered the men to lift the anchor and to lower the sail. Those were easy tasks for even an amateur to do. Without anyone knowing, the group of twenty two had successfully stolen a royal ship. They slowly made their way out to sea, picking up speed the further away they were. Thankfully, the wind was blowing in their favor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the first stage of our mission is now complete!" Robin said after they were well away from the shore. The harbor wasn't visible any more to them, which meant that they could be as loud as they wanted, which they were. Everyone cheered in celebration. They all knew that they were one step closer to their ultimate goal, despite getting further from their homeland. "But don't get too crazy just yet. I want all of you to go check the underbelly of the ship, see what you can find. Ideally, we can get some food started. I know you are all starving by now. And keep your eyes on Anna. I don't want to see here pocket anything without me knowing." Anna pouted, but the remark got some laughs from the rest of the people. Everyone dispersed except for Robin and Tharja, who remained by the ship's wheel. Robin decided to take advantage of their new found privacy, wrapping his arms around her back. He slowly started kissing her neck. She didn't even resist.

"What do you think?" He asked her. "Pretty good for a day's work, no?"

"I suppose…" she purred as she adjusted her neck to allow him to get a better shot at her neck.

"You suppose? Aren't you excited? With this, by this time next year we will have dethroned the Mad King. That will leave us to do anything we want in peace. We should enjoy this trip while it lasts, you know? We are going to an exotic land!"

"I can only imagine the new ingredients I might find for my hexes. Oh, the excitement!" There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but Robin couldn't decide whether it had been just his imagination or not. After all, she did always get excited when it came to hexing.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you, me, the beach… Maybe some wine?"

"Blegh!" The couple turned to see Izzy making gagging noises as she stared back at them. "You two should get a room. There's literally one for you just down the steps…" Tharja frowned at the interruption, while Robin only sighed. He let go of the black mage and took a step towards the young archer.

"Found something?"

"You could say that."

"Well? Get on with it. If you interrupted me I take it that you found something good. Spill it."

"You're gonna want to see this yourself." The comment incited the white haired tactician to ask no further. Instead, he just followed behind her towards the lower deck. Tharja tagged along too, seeing as everyone else was already down there. Waiting just below was one of their healers, staff in hand. The stagg let off a soft glow that illuminated their surroundings. Some of the others were all around, rummaging through boxes of supplies or already laying on some of the hammocks that were near the walls. There was a barrel with some apples in them near them. Before they went anywhere, Robin grabbed one of them. He was pretty hungry. He deserved a damn apple. The healer guided them to a hidden compartment at the very front of the boat. Normally, that wouldn't be too strange. Smugglers made use of features like that all the time. All boats had them. What made this one special was the size of it. But what was shocking were the contents of it.

"A kid?" Robin said as he looked at the figure cowering as far away from them as she could get. She had a cloak with a hood covering her entire body. There were two chains that were secured to the tall that went under the cloak. "Some sort of slave?" He took a step towards the girl to get a closer look, but had to stop when the girl screamed at him.

"Get back!" She yelled. "D-Don't come any closer!"

"She's been saying that since I found her," Izzy said with a frown. "I tried getting near her, but she bit me and then kicked me." The girl stuck her tongue out to the archer.

Robin crouched down to meet the girl in eye level. He didn't say anything and neither did she. He bit into the apple, the crunching sound echoing in the small room. It was quite a juice fruit. He had to wipe away the juices that were going down his face. As he chewed, he noticed that the girl was no longer looking at him. She'd found that the fruit was much more interesting than the man in front of him. To make sure, he moved the apple to his left and then to his right. Sure enough, the girl's head followed the movements of the fruit. "Hmmm?" He tossed it to her. She was able to catch it, just barely. The chains around her wrists restricted her movement. She looked intensely at the apple, then at Robin, then back at the apple. "It's not poisoned." He swallowed his share. "I wouldn't have eaten it if it was."

The girl eagerly ate the apple, the rebels only watching her. Judging by the speed that she was eating, she'd been there for a long time and/or she wasn't given much food for as long she'd been there. Why would she be there? Had there been some sick pedophile in charge of the vessel that had her there to pleasure himself? Just the thought of it was enough to make Robin angry. He had many questions for the girl, but he had to go easy at first. He took the chance to ask his first one when she was done with the apple.

"Why are you here?"

The girl hesitated for a moment. She looked at him to see if she could trust him or not. "...those guys bought me a few weeks ago. They've kept me locked up here." She was a slave. At least that's what Robin assumed. It was sickening to think that someone would buy and sell children. "...It's been going on for years," she continued. "Before those guys there were others. And more before those ones…"

"Oh gods.." Izzy's maternal instinct was kicking in. "Cap, we can't keep her here! We have to do something!"

"Go get Gaius." Izzy headed back to the back of the ship in search of the rebel's expert thief. Meanwhile, Robin turned back to look at the girl. "Today is your lucky day, kid. We just so happened to have stolen this ship from those guys that bought you." The girl gasped. "We don't like them. And you've given us one more reason to go against them. Now, we've already set sail, so we can't drop you off anywhere right now. But you have two options. You can join us and travel with us or you can go your own way once we reach Chon'sin. We'll let you take some supplies with you if you choose the latter."

"What the hell, Cap?!" Izzy was fuming when she returned with the thief. "You just want to let a child fend off for her own?!"

"I can't let her come along if she doesn't know what she is getting herself into. Besides, she has some time to decide what she'll do." He turned back to look at the girl. "We are a few days off from reaching our destination. You can use that time to ask us anything you may want to know before you decide. Most of the people here are orphans, so they could give you tips on how to survive on your own if you want to go your own way." He turned to look at Gaius. "Can you get those chains off her?"

Gaius took a quick look at the restraints and grinned. He popped out the lolly he was sucking on before responding, "sure thing, Bubbles. Though I do expect you to get me something sweet when we dock wherever the heck we dock." Gaius' sweet tooth always guided him. The whole reason he'd joined them was because they had gotten a hold on a pie (by chance) that the thief had his sights on. Not that Robin would ever complain. The guy had a certain set of skills that came in handy. The price of those skills was also very cheap. "Done and done." He stepped away from the girl, who was rubbing her wrists with teary eyes.

"What's your name, kid?" Robin asked the girl.

"...Nowi," she muttered. "My name is Nowi."

* * *

Okay, so, someone (you know who you are, you magnificent bastard) suggested to me that I should do a story along the lines of Robin leading a rebellion in Plegia. I thought that sounded pretty freaking cool! Then I thought "what if events don't go in the same order as in the game?" Because of that, I can introduce characters in crazy different amount of ways. Also, because I don't plan to stop writing my other story (Different Awakening), I thought it would be good to switch it up so that it didn't became repetitive.

I chose to also make this ones deal with more mature themes, since I can't cover those too much on my other stories. It's just a bit of an experiment. I just had to give some love to Tharja. The girl hardly ever gets a happy ending around here... I find it that I like pairings that aren't very popular, now that I think about it, haha! At some point I'll make one shots with my favorite gals. No promises, though.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: OCs. I tried to keep them to a minimum, as you can see. I know there are a lot of people out there that _hate_ having OCs. I personally can be very iffy about them, but they are needed in this case. Hope it's no big deal for anyone.

If you worry that I will drop my other stories, don't worry! Especially those that read "A Gathering of Leaders". I've already worked out the next chapter for that one; it's on the way! Just wanted to get this out there because it kept slowing me down when I was trying to come up with what to do for AGoL's next chapter. That being said, whether I continue this story or not will be up to how well it's received. If you did enjoy it and want to see more, you _have_ to let me know! Leave a review, follow and/or favorite the story. Any of those will do.


	2. Chapter 2: Voyage

_Chapter 2: Voyage_

The reality of their situation had set in in most of the crew—there just wasn't much to do on a ship in the middle of the sea. It'd only taken them a full day's worth to take inventory, which was bountiful. They had a mix of weapons, armor, documents, drink, and most importantly food, from countless amounts of fruit, to grain and salted meats. Even with their numbers, there was enough for them to eat for the remainder of the voyage. After that, most simply explored the ship to find any sort of personal items that had been left behind by the previous crew. For the most part, that consisted on letters and clothing as well as a few personal items, but then on the third day, Shaw had found something that peaked the interest of everyone on board.

When Robin noticed a group gathered around the swordsman on the deck of the ship, just standing around, he was quick to approach them. Nowi, the girl they'd found the night before, had taken a liking to the captain, or so the others would say. She followed after him wherever he went, except for his private quarters. Tharja wasn't too pleased about it, but Nowi also seemed to like the dark mage, as she tried chatting with her all the time and would follow _her_ around when Robin looked too busy with something else. Tharja had told Robin that she was bothered by the girl, but he'd brushed it off. It wasn't the first time that his lover had complained about another's constant (unwanted) company. Strangers were quick to stay away from her, as they couldn't see the good nature that was deep down behind her icy exterior. Nowi, however, wasn't letting down. She'd already taken to calling Robin "big bro", and when she heard about the relationship between him and the dark mage, she was quick to start calling Tharja "big sis", much to the latter's displeasure.

"What's going on here?" Robin asked as he neared the group. All eyes turned to him. "If you have time to stand around I'll find you something better to do," he told them. "The deck could use a good scrubbing. Or you could use one of the nets and try your hands at fishing. Gods know that we could use the extra food so that we have _something_ left by the time we get to the port. If you don't like either of those, go do maintenance on your equipment. We can't know for sure how soon we'll see combat. I want everyone to be ready for it."

They exchanged looks or simply looked away from him. They had to know he was right. Before long, they scattered. From the options given to them, the last one looked to be the most appealing for them, as not a single one of them headed to the front of the ship to get the brushes and buckets to clean. The only ones that remained were Shaw and Anna. Given that no one had answered him and that they'd all been gathered around the swordsman, Robin waited for his question to be answered. Finally noticing, Shaw showed him an item he was holding.

"Check it out, Robin," he said. "I found this thing hidden under a board on the lower decks. Look at the size of it! It must be worth a fortune. Have you ever seen anything like it?" In his hands was a completely smooth sphere, roughly the size of a mango. At first glance, there wasn't much to say about it. It was big, green, and semi transparent. It wasn't all that different from stained glass that was commonly found on the Ylissean churches of Naga. But on closer inspection, there was something more to it. At the very center of the gem there were small dark objects that were pointing at the center, where there was an even larger one of these. It reminded Robin of the eye of a wyvern. If it wasn't for the transparency, it would be a good representation of the large reptile's eye. Though, why would anyone have anything like that on a ship was another thing entirely. Sure, it was pretty, but there wasn't much else to it. He somehow doubted that the item would be worth much if it been hidden away instead of sold at the port.

Just as he was about to voice his opinion, Nowi ran past him. "That's mine!" She jumped up and snatched the gem away from Shaw, who was left bewildered by the girl's actions. Robin raised an eyebrow at the girl, while Anna just looked surprised. Nowi turned her back on all of them as she inspected the object, rubbing her thumbs against the surface. She let out a big sigh of relief as she brought the gem to her cheek and rubbed it against it. "I'm so glad it was still here." They couldn't see her face, but Robin could tell that the girl was happy. Whatever that was, it had to be very important to her. He understood how she felt. Most of the rebels had one or two items that they would never part with, items that were worth more than anything only to them because of sentimental value. Robin couldn't help but smile a little at seeing the girl so happy.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Shaw said. Obviously, he didn't feel the same way that his captain did. "Ever heard of finders keepers, shrimp? Besides, how do we know that it is yours? Are we supposed to take your word for it?" Nowi turned to look at Shaw, cheeks puffed and brow furrowed. She didn't look pleased with her credibility being questioned. At that moment, Tharja had come out of the captain's quarters, holding her tome close to her chest as she would always do. As she came closer to the group of four, Nowi ran to her and hid behind her, peeking back at the swordsman. It was a smart move. Shaw was never too comfortable around Tharja. If nothing else, that would prevent him from giving chase to the girl. As for Tharja, she wasn't all that comfortable with the girl holding onto her as a human shield. None the less, she kept walking until she stood by Robin's side.

"It's mine!" Nowi repeated. "They took it from me and hid it when they brought me to the ship. I tried looking around for it, but couldn't find it." She turned to look at Robin, still behind Tharja. "I'm not lying!" Once more she shot a "menacing" glance at Shaw. "I will bite you if you call me a liar."

"You should listen to her, Shaw," said Robin. "Izzy still has the mark from when she bit her."

"You can't be serious, Cap!" Shaw protested. "For all we know, she could've just come up with that story of hers on the spot! Don't tell me you're going to believe her just because she is a girl."

Robin shrugged. "She has no reason to lie to us. Besides, we already got a ship and all the cargo in it for free. It's not like we would be losing much if she were to keep that thing." Shaw grunted. "Listen, why don't you go back down there and see if you can find anything else of value? The first thing I want to do when we reach the port is to unload as much of the useless crap that's down there and get some gold on our name." Shaw grunted once more. "...Or you could clean the deck…" The swordsman didn't say another word. Faced with the choice of bad and worse, he went with what would mean less work. At the very least he wouldn't have to work under the sun if he kept pulling floorboards.

"You are going soft," said Tharja as they watched Shaw go below deck. "She might be a kid, but she has to learn to fight her own battles. And acting like a little kid won't work every time."

"It's as if you were trying to talk to your younger self, don't you think, dear?" Robin asked as he looked at her. "She'll learn. They all did and so can she. That is if she decides to join us. Otherwise, it'll be up to her. She's still a kid. Let her be at least until we reach Chon'sin." He turned to look at Nowi. "That being said, keep out of trouble, you hear? Shaw can get especially pissy about this sort of things. You'll have better luck with Izzy or some of the other older people we have here." Nowi nodded, looking a little embarrassed, which only helped reinforce the fact that she was still a kid. "Okay, enough of that, I need to talk with Anna for a bit." Anna, who'd been there all along, had remained surprisingly quiet throughout the exchange. Her eyes were locked on the sphere Nowi had on her hands until the very last moment she went out of view. Robin waved a hand in front of her, trying to snap her out of her daze. "You okay?"

"Wha-" She turned to look over at Robin, who looked concern. "Did you say something? I got distracted there for a second, hehe~" Like nothing, she went back to her usual self. "Oh, right! You wanted to take a look at the maps, right? I was waiting for you when Shaw came up and then I totally blanked out."

"Right... Follow me then. I got everything ready for you to take a look at it." Robin walked back towards the boat's wheel, climbing the small set of stairs to it. Following behind were Anna and Tharja. At the very back was a table that had a map covered by a sheet of glass, on which Robin had prepared everything they needed, from ink, a brush, and a ruler, to a spyglass, a compass, and even an astrolabe, all of which he'd found while rummaging through the captain's quarters. The wear of their many years of use could be seen on them, but that didn't mean that they were any less useful. He'd also placed the small glass bottle with the concoction Tharja had given him days earlier, which had turned out to be as precise as she'd claimed it to be. With the three gathered around it, Robin turned to Anna. "You've been to Chon'sin before, right? I'm guessing because of trade. Do you happen to know the route you would take when going there?"

Tharja turned to look at Robin, shooting knives at him. "You brought us all the way here but you don't even know where you are going?"

"Well, yes and no. I've been to Valm before, but I've never traveled by boat directly to Chon'sin. I was thinking that if we want to cut back on our travel time, I would just ask someone that knew about this things a little more."

"And you decided that it would be best to ask _three days_ after we set off?"

"Don't be like that… It's not like we could get lost at sea! All you have to do is go west until you hit land, but then we might have to make our way around the continent. It gets results, but it's not as effective as taking a direct route there."

Using the brush and the ink, the merchant started scribbling on top of the glass, making small notes, lines, and even signalling some areas they should stay away from. "The most logical thing to do is to get your destination, then get your location, and just travel on a straight line, right?" Anna asked. "Well, that's not always true when on a boat. From my years of experience hiring people to transport goods, you almost never want to do that. Instead, you want to take advantage of the natural currents that are found on certain parts of the sea, like right here for instance," she circled an area on the map. "If you take all these natural currents, you'll gain more speed. Even if the route ends up being longer, it is more effective. Plus, if the wind stops blowing we won't get stuck in the middle of nowhere and be forced to wait. Caravels don't have oars for us to use, so we want to avoid situations like that as much as possible. Remember: time is money. A lot of people think that their time has no value, but that's just because they don't know how to turn it into coins. For someone like me, I rather hit land sooner and start selling all the goods."

It would take another thirty minutes of thorough explanation from Anna for them to settle on a viable route for them to take, taking into account speed, going undetected by other passing ships, and distance to travel. Calculating from the average distance they'd travel each day since they'd left Plegia, it would take them another four days of sailing before they reached land. That would've pleased the tactician more if it didn't mean that he would have to cut back on his sleep for those days too. For the past three days, he'd gotten an average of four hours of rest per day. This kept him from being able to focus completely, which was why he wanted to stay away from the more frequently used trading routes. Pirates were known to go around and attack unsuspecting ships. And while he knew that they could hold their own against anyone, he wasn't confident that he would be able to keep them all safe while at the same time fighting. That's also why having Tharja with him was so beneficial. She was able to hex him to force him to fall asleep and wake up at certain times. The few times he started nodding off on the wheel, she would poke him with a knife too. It wasn't the most pleasant way to go about it, but he couldn't argue with her results.

He looked at the dark mage, who'd turned to reading her tome after the conversation had become too dull for her. Grabbing a hold of a mandarin he'd left on the table earlier, he started peeling at it as he continued looking at her. Finally, she turned to face him, closing her tome. "You've been eating a lot of fruit since we got on the ship," she pointed out. She wasn't wrong.

Robin shrugged as he continued peeling the piece of fruit. "More like all I used to eat were vegetables, grain, and meat back at the hideout," he said. He threw a couple of pieces into his mouth and offered some to her, which she gladly accepted. It was refreshing. Not only did it taste good and fill the stomach, but it also helped the parched throat of his. "I heard somewhere that it's suppose to make it taste better. Sweet, apparently."

Tharja chuckled that dark, yet melodic chuckle of hers, obviously understanding what it was that he was referring to. "Big claims," she said as she ran a finger up his neck up to his chin. "Maybe we should test that later. You still owe me from the last time." The both of them smiled at each other. They were about to kiss when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It came to on surprise to either of them to see the small hooded figure of Nowi coming into view. Tharja clicked her tongue, displeased by being interrupted yet again. Robin, on the other hand, wouldn't back down. He held her from the back of her neck and pulled her towards his lips. It was just a brief kiss, but it was still a kiss.

Leaning against the table, he turned to look at the approaching girl. He noticed that she was still holding onto the gem of hers as if she was afraid to lose sight of it again. "You know," he said as he munched on another piece of the mandarin, "if you carry that thing around like that you could drop it. With us being on a ship and all, you're going to want to be careful or it'll end up at the bottom of the sea." Instantly, the girl looked worried between the gem in her hands and at him, causing Robin to chuckle. He unfastened his coin pouch from his belt and emptied it on the table. It wasn't holding all that much, about thirty gold coins that scattered on the table as the ship swayed gently with the waves. "Here, put it in there," he said, tossing the pouch to her. "If you keep it under that cloak of yours it'll be harder to steal and you'll always have it near you." The pouch would be just big enough for it to hold the gem. Never before had it been so full with...anything.

The girl caught it, just barely, one handed. She stared at it for a moment. The pouch itself was nothing special, just your everyday leather wallet. Just about everyone on board had a similar one with them at all times. They'd all been made by a member that had stayed behind that happened to be a leatherworker. Mercenary companies and armies had their coat of arms. They had those wallets. It had sentimental value, but it was as if he couldn't go back and ask the guy to make him a new one. She finally looked up at Robin, a smile on her face. "Can I really have it?" Nowi asked, bouncing on the ball of her feet. She was very excited for something so simple. Could it be that she'd never been given anything? When Robin confirmed that she could keep it, she looked ecstatic. "Thank you! I promise I'll take care of it!" Who would've thought that such a simple thing could make someone that happy. Her smile and happiness was contagious, as he found himself smiling and even Tharja had the smallest hint of a smile on her. As much as she'd complained about Nowi pestering her, Robin could tell that she enjoyed her company. It had to be a good change of pace, as just about everyone else but him and maybe Anna were wary around her.

Nowi did as she'd been told. Opening the pouch as much as she could, she plopped the gem in. It fit nicely, though it didn't leave any space for anything else. Still, for a girl that had nothing else but the clothes on her back and that gem, it would do. She pulled the leather strips on it to close the little pouch. When she moved to secure it to her belt, that was the first time any of them had ever had a glimpse of her figure. Though it wasn't much—only being able to see her legs—he could tell that she was a petite girl. He could also tell that she wore boots that reached well over her knees, though how high he didn't know as the cloak covered the rest of her. It made the tactician wonder how it was that she didn't seem to be bothered by the heat. It could get unbearably hot during that time of the years on the middle of the sea with the sun hitting down on them and the water reflecting it too. That was why most of the crew would stay on the lower deck until late in the afternoon, only coming up when really needed.

He immediately turned to look at Tharja. Her clothing was more suitable for that type of climate. She was lightly clothes, using only a thin layer of mesh that covered her almost completely and two more pieces of cloth that covered her bosom and her rear and crotch. Her cape covered her milky white skin from the harsh sunrays, which caused Robin to question if she'd hexed her skin to always not be kissed by the sun as many of the Plegian women were. She also wore a number of accessories—a golden circlet on her hair, and two golden bracelets, one for each hand, along with the silver one he'd given her. The only thing that worked against her was her long, black hair. As beautiful as it was, it was the reason why she preferred to remain in the shade most of the time. The thing about dark hair, it heats up really easily. That was something Robin had never experienced first hand, given that his was white. It was something that he'd heard constantly as he'd grown up.

He could see her discomfort even then. An idea popped into his head. She turned to look at him as he unwrapped his shemagh. "And here is a little something for you too, love," he told her as he wrapped her head in it. With its tan color, it would reflect the incoming light better, which meant that she wouldn't be as uncomfortable. Then there was also the added benefit of the small sliver of a shadow that it would cast, protecting her eyes too. Blood quickly flushed her cheeks and her smile grew wider as she looked to look at him work. When he was finally done, she giggled, mischievously. "You can keep it, if you like. Although, I may have to borrow it from time to time." Her smile faltered somewhat.

"If you say it like that you will never get it back," Tharja said with a ring to it. "I may very well use it for one of my hexes as well." He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up and close to him. Nowi, who was still standing there, gasped at the scene, causing Tharja's cheeks to turn pink again. Robin moved his hand down her back ever so carefully.

"Then you won't be needing this for now, right?" With an incredible sleight of hand—courtesy of one sweet toothed thief—he snatched the dagger she had secured to her belt. With a grin, he showed her the dagger in front of her, moving a bit away as to not harm her. "I don't like it when you randomly slash me without asking-"

"Oh? You never complain about it when we are in bed." Robin was flustered for a second, but regained his composure quick enough for her to comment on it.

"-with the dagger… It's already a pain when you pull out some of my hair every now and again. Besides, I have a better use for it." He approached the table once more and grabbed another mandarin that was there. Using the dagger, he made quick work of peeling the piece of fruit without spilling any of its juices all over himself. "See? Not bad, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "You are using a sacrificial dagger intended for hexing purposes to peel fruit?" Tharja asked unamused that her precious dagger would be used in such a way. Robin simply shrugged and continued by popping a piece into his mouth. "The same dagger I use to dice the many ingredients I use, like dat wings and rat intestines." Robin stopped for a second to give it some thought and after giving it some thought, he continued eating as if nothing. She would clean the thing after using it for all those things, right?

And so days passed, one by one. Everyone started falling into a routine. They would wake up early, have breakfast, clean the deck (on Robin's insistence, of course), help out with adjusting the sail, have lunch, work some more on minute tasks that had to be done, adjust the sails again, sometimes they would fish, then they would have dinner, and finally go to sleep only to wake up and repeat it all the next day. It wasn't a life of luxury, but it beat having to watch their backs every day and having to constantly skip meals as they'd done so many times back in the cave. Their bellies were full, they had enough sleep, and had more than enough free time that they knew what they could do with. Overall, it was a decent few days for everyone...except for Robin. He didn't get any free time at all. Unfortunately for him, he had to man the wheel and do the navigation of all times. When he would go get some sleep, a man by the name of Caleb would take over. He wasn't the brightest guy, but had enough knowledge about ships to be able to keep everything under control. He was a big, muscular guy who'd been toughened up by years of working on a fishing boat (hence, where why he knew how to handle the ship.) With Anna's help, the two would divy up the tasks of navigation and ship handling.

On their seventh day, they were no more than thirty miles away from land. Already they could see the sliver of brown and green peeking over the horizon. It gave a boost to their moral. Finally, they could see land! They welcomed the sight with cheers. Had they not drank the barrels of different alcohol that was on board they would've done it right there and then. But it was hardly time to celebrate. Now that they were so close to disembark, they had even more reason to quicken their pace. For once since they stole the ship, Robin was able to give orders without anyone grunting in annoyance. The only one that didn't react whatsoever was Caleb, who was looking in the opposite direction as everyone else. To try and get him to focus, Robin approached him. "No time to be spacing out, Caleb," he told the man. "I need everyone on their toes right now."

Caleb turned to look at Robin, only reacting a few seconds after the tactician had spoken. "Oh? Did you say something?" He asked. Normally saying something like that could be taken as someone trying to be smug, but in this case, it was more possible that the man really hadn't heard him. "I don't like this, Robin," he said, gritting his teeth. "There is an ol' sayin' that all sailors abide by; Red sky in the mornin', sailors take warnin'. Red sky at night, sailors' delight…" The sky was indeed colored red, vibrant like blood that'd just been spilled on the many clouds that covered the eastern sky, but how believable the saying was would be up to debate. "I don't like this at all. It's a bad omen! Me thinks we should head to the coast and hold up there. We can let the storm pass and then keep goin'."

Robin shook his head. "No can do," he told the man. "If we were to stop, we would end up losing way too much time. And that's assuming we can get close enough to the coast without damaging the ship. Even if we were to set anchor and take the rowboat there, it would take five round trips to get everyone to land. If you really want to avoid whatever is coming, then why not help the others out securing the the fishing nets? The knots keep coming undone and people get tangled with them."

Though not pleased about it, Caleb relented on the topic. It was apparent that Robin wouldn't change his mind. He had to know that. Robin would always take his comrades' words to heart, but if it meant disturbing a plan, he wouldn't modify it unless the chances of it failing were too stacked against them. In this case, even if there was a storm, a caravel would be able to stand it without suffering any sort of damage. From looking at the map, he knew that there weren't any rock formations nearby that could damage the ship's hull in their path. Going to the coast would be more dangerous, as they could end up beaching the ship in the middle of nowhere. This were all things that Robin had taken into account. He wasn't known as a great tactician amongst them for nothing.

As soon as Caleb had gone down the stairs to get to work, someone else took his place. Robin didn't have to look to see who it was, and when she called out to him it confirmed what he already knew. "Big brrooooo~," came the whine of Nowi as she ran up the steps, holding her hood down and teary eyed. She looked upset. Robin could only imagine what would cause her to be like that. "Gaius is being a bully!" He cowered behind him, as if he was some sort of impenetrable wall. The thief followed not long after, sweating like a pig. Just how long had he been chasing her? Robin sighed, disappointed. It was hard enough having to keep people in order without having to deal with personal affairs within the ranks. "He keeps trying to pull down my hood, even after I _repeatedly_ told him to stop." Nowi pouted as she kept a close eye on the sugar thief.

"You can't blame a guy for trying, Cloaky" said Gaius. "I'm sorry, but when you have a reaction like that it makes me all the more curious to just rip it off of you." To emphasize his point, he made a pulling motion. "It doesn't help that you insist to keep it up at all times and that no one has even caught a glimpse of you underneath the cloak. It's like you are hiding something…" Nowi visibly flinched. "Tell ya what, if you pull down your hood I'll share a bit of my stash with you."

"No. Go away," said Nowi, puffing her cheeks out. "I don't even like candy that much…"

"Back off, Gaius," said Robin, trying to not lose his patience. "Just let her be. If she doesn't want to pull down her hood, so be it. I don't want you causing trouble where there is no need for it. I know being trapped on this boat must be driving you crazy, but that's no excuse for being an arse. We are very close to land now. Just hold it a little longer. For now, go ask Anna if there is anything you can do instead of wasting your time."

Gaius frowned, but inevitably gave in. Giving the tactician a mock salute, he said, "aye aye, Captain Bubbles," before heading back down in search for the redheaded merchant.

"Woah, you are grumpy today," said Nowi, who'd finally stopped pulling down her hood to return to her more usual innocent stance. "I'll tell big sis to come and give you a hug and do all that lovey-dovey stuff you too always do." She clasped her hands close to her chest and started throwing out kisses.

"She's sleeping right now," Robin said, rubbing the back of his head as he cringe at the girl's actions, "something that I _wish_ I could be doing right now. Little sleep and overworking will make anyone be on a foul mood. Can't really take a break either. Not until we land. After that, sure, I'll crash for a day or two, but for now the wheel is calling for my company."

By noon, everyone had fallen back to the daily routine. Robin was at the wheel, making sure they followed the current like Anna had suggested. Tharja was sitting nearby reading her tome as always, much more comfortable with the sun after Robin had let her have his shemagh. And then there was Nowi, who was playing with her gem by the table, just rolling the thing around. It was odd how she would do that and even throw it up in the air as if it was nothing after all the commotion happened when Shaw had first found it. The rest of the crew were either relaxing on the deck or on the lower deck, trying to find comfort from the heat on the shade. Robin didn't bark at them anymore. With the wind hitting the sail full on, they were covering enough ground that they could even get to their destination ahead of schedule. But there was something that was still worrying the tactician at the back of his mind. As he was leaning on the wheel, he turned to look east. A big, dark formation of clouds was heading their way. Caleb's words rang on his mind, a reminder for him to check Tharja's concoction again. He pulled it out from one of his pockets and inspected it. Sure enough, all the signs were there too. A thick layer of dark foam had formed at the top of it and the liquid had turned hazy—an ominous opaque gray. He tightened his grip around the bottle. There was no question about it. A storm was heading directly towards them. The question he had was whether or not they would be able to outrun it.

"You are on edge, my love," purred Tharja, perfectly reading the dark atmosphere around her lover. "You've been uneasy all day." Setting down the tome on the same table Nowi was playing with her gem on, she approached Robin and rested her hand on his back, pressing her body against his. "I can read you like an open book. You are worried about the storm." She giggled, grabbing a handful of his shirt on each hand. "Don't think about it too much. I've already made a divination. We will all reach our destination safely." Her words reassured him somewhat, but he couldn't help still be bothered by the situation.

"Was a divination really necessary?" Robin asked, keeping his eyes looking forward and his hands on the wheel. "I thought you'd said that manakete nails are incredibly difficult to come by these days. Shouldn't you have saved them for something more important than this?"

Tharja chuckled, running her hands from his back to his chest, embracing him and pulling him even closer. "I thought it would be a nice gesture from me to you," she confessed. "One that you would _gladly_ repay, I'm sure… No matter the cost. Hmmm?" Robin chuckled wholeheartedly. She would be the one to ask for something in return.

"Are manakete nails expensive?" Nowi asked from behind them, having heard the whole conversation.

"Manaketes tend to stick with their own in desolated areas that have little to no humans," Robin explained. "Because of their magical properties, they were often hunted down. Their nails and ears can be used for hexes. Their bones, when grinded, were often used in tonics. Their scales are though, but lighter than most metals, making them perfect for armor. And their teeth are often kept as trophies or as luxury items by nobles around the world. Because of this, prices go up every year. Nails are the least expensive manakete-related items you can get, but they sell for a good price." Nowi shivered. Hearing about the species treatment was something that could sound like a nightmare to any child. They lived in a cruel world. Many other shape-shifters—like the cat people, bird people, and the bunny people—had all met extinction because of human's greed for knowledge and the unknown as well as many crusades that had hunted them down for no other reason other than being not human.

"I…" Nowi looked at her gem as she slowly rolled it again on the table. "I feel sad for them…"

"Unfortunately, we don't live in a happy world." He rubbed the girl's head. "Don't worry about it too much. It's something that is out of our control. Besides, it's not like it affects too much. At the very least, there are still some manaketes around." The girl let out a sad hump. "For now, think about getting to Chon'sin and all the things you can do once you are there." With no other words to reassure her, he took his place at the wheel once again to keep them on track.

Things took a turn for the worse in a matter of hours. The clouds quickly caught up to the caravel, darkening the skies completely. With them came a downpour of such a proportion that it made it difficult to see the land to the west clearly. The small waves that would make the ship sway somewhat calmly escalated into behemoths that trashed the boat from side to side, water hitting hard against the hull and coming well over the railing. The force with which they were hitting was enough to make some stagger or even hit the ground. The flapping of the sail and the creaking of the wood were the last thing any of them wanted to hear. The storm wasn't only threatening to push them off course, but to strand them completely by bringing down the mast. Some of the objects that hadn't been secured or were poorly been put away were scattered all over the deck, floating on the water that they were taking in. The waves kept bringing water on board as they hit the side of the ship. Over half the crew were using buckets to clear out some of the water that they were taking in. There wasn't enough water on the lower deck to cause much trouble, let alone sink them, but it was enough to see some valuables floating around.

"Bring down the sail! At this rate we're going to lose it!" Robin shouted to some of the people on the deck. Four of them scrambled precariously to secure the sail. "If we lose that we are done for! Make sure to use good knots on it!" He had to keep those around him calm, which wasn't an easy task given that he wasn't calm at all. Not only was he dealing with giving out orders, he also had to keep the ship stable. Using all the strength he could muster, he stood his ground against the might of the sea, moving the wheel as necessary to keep the ship stable. He was cursing the weather. From all the things that could change the tides of a battle, weather was the worst. It was too unpredictable. People could come up with their forecasts using the latest tools and previous knowledge, and still be wrong. On this case, the weather was _literally_ changing the tides around against them. This made Robin wonder if one of the many gods was having a laugh. They we _so_ close to land, but couldn't get anywhere near them if they wanted to keep the ship in one piece. "I fucking hate storms," Robin said under his breath as he continued moving the wheel to change the angle in which they were heading to the next wave. He was losing his energy too fast and the storm was not letting down. He needed help. Luckily, Caleb was lunging bucket-fulls of water overboard just down the steps. "Caleb!" Robin called out. "Get your arse over here! I can't keep this blasted thing straight on my own for much longer!"

Caleb threw the bucket to someone else to continue before running up the steps two at a time and joining Robin at the wheel. That was the first time in his life that the tactician would confess to being happy to see a big, muscular man coming towards him. If only the mountain of muscle didn't have such a dreadful expression it would've been perfect. The fisherman grabbed onto two of the handles on the wheel and tried to keep it stable, getting some of the load off of Robin. "Thanks, big guy." Caleb grunted. Robin was glad that the guy was being the better man and not throwing an "I told you so" to his face. "How are things down there?"

"We're taking in water, but we're managing," Caleb said. "They could be much worse… At least we're all still alive." Robin didn't want to even think about the possibility of losing any of them in such circumstances. Drowning wasn't the fastest way to die. No, wait, no one was going to die! But perhaps he was being hopeful. It was common for ships to sail out only to be caught by a storm and disappear along with its crew.

As the caravel took yet another beating from a wave, Robin noticed that there was something going on on the deck. Someone was on the floor, a foolish decision. One wrong move and that person could go over. There were a couple of people trying to get closer to the one on the ground, but they were having trouble even doing this. Robin gritted his teeth as he assessed the situation. Taking a closer look, he could see that the one on the ground was Izzy. He could see that she'd snagged herself on one of the fishing nets that had come loose. The freaking thing was like a deathtrap. The more she fought against it in an attempt to free herself the worse she was making things for herself. "Dammit," he cursed as he watched the helpless girl struggle with the net. "Keep 'er steady," he told Caleb before jumping down to the deck over the rail. "I'll take care of her, the rest of you go help below deck!"

First thing Robin did was get to the mast for support. He wrapped his left arm around it and held on as much as he could to keep himself on his feet. He could see Izzy being dragged from one side to the other with each rise and fall of the ship. If he wanted to get her without falling trap of the net himself, then he had to time his next move. As she was passing in front of him once again, he noticed that while he couldn't reach her, he could grab a part of the net and then pull her to him. When the opportunity presented itself, he extended reached out as far as he could without letting go of the mast. Lucky for him, it was just enough to grab onto the net by a thread. He twisted his wrist to get a better hold of it and then pulled on it. Little by little, Izzy was getting closer. It wasn't easy, but he managed to bring her all the way to the mast.

"Hold on," he told her calmly as he unsheathed his sword. It'd been a good decision for him to put on his armor and weapon that morning, though using his sword to cut a comrade out of a net was the last thing he'd imagined himself doing that day. The blade was somewhat dull, making it hard to cut the strong net, but with enough force he was able to get it done. He switch his blade to the hand he had on the mast and extended his free hand to pull the girl to her feet. "You okay?" Because of the lack of light, he couldn't tell all that well. He could see a couple of bruises she'd suffered, and she was a little shaky, but she could still stand on her own.

"Yeah," she said with relief in her eyes as she held onto the mast too. "Thanks, Cap. I thought I was done for. Whoever put away that thing will need a good lecture after this, huh?" She laughed nervously in an attempt to hide what she was truly feeling. She wasn't wrong… If he found out who was to blame, they were going to get an earful.

"No time to talk. Leave the deck. You got roughed up. Tharja, Nowi, and a few others are in the captain's quarters. Go there and do _not_ come out. I don't want to have to save your arse again." He didn't leave her any chance to object. When the ship was steady, he pushed her towards the door. She was steady enough on her feet by then that she didn't have a problem reaching it. She quickly opened the door and entered. He could see the worried faces of the few people that were in there. The storm had bruised up a couple of people early on. The quarters, being the only dry spot in the whole ship, had turned into some sort of medical treatment room. It had to be cramp in there. And the longer the storm kept hitting them, the more people would need to get in there.

Robin kept looking in the direction of the door until someone yelled something at him. He didn't get a chance to brace himself for the wave that hit him. It hit him hard, but because he was using the mast for support, he was able to keep himself standing. His sword slipped through his fingers, hitting the floor and being taken by the water out of his reach. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the sword moving to the front of the ship. It wasn't safe to have a sword lying around like that. But once more, there was no time for him to do anything about it. A second, massive wave came at the ship, swiping the tactician off his feet and dragging him across the deck too. He tried to fight it—to stop himself by grabbing onto anything that he could, but the fishing net that he'd taken off of Izzy had tangled around him, making it impossible to move. He knew just how bad it was when he felt the ground disappear from under him. _Shit_ , was what he thought moments before hitting the raging sea.

Robin wasn't that bad of a swimmer. Under normal circumstances, falling overboard wasn't that big of a deal. With a storm? At night? It wasn't less than ideal. Not only that, but trying to stay afloat was made even more difficult by his limited mobility and the added weight of the net and armor. He was being dragged down. The net had to go. Without his sword though, freeing himself would be a challenge. It would have to be a battle between how long he could before running out of breath and how fast he could think of a way to get himself free. Trying as best he could, he patted himself to see if he had anything sharp enough on his that could cut through the net. Too bad his shield didn't have any edge to it…

As he was checking his belt, he felt something prickly. His eyes snapped open. He'd been so stupid! Of course he had something! He'd been carrying around Tharja's dagger for days, much to her displeasure. Oh, how happy he would've been were he not about to drown. To be able to use it, he was forced to grab it by the blade instead of the handle, since he couldn't quite reach it. He could feel as the cold steel dug into his fingers, but frankly, he could care less about some cuts. He had to keep himself calm. He knew that the longer he took, the harder it would be to swim to the surface, but if he rushed too much he might lose the dagger in a panic.

With every cut, he gained more and more mobility. When he was finally free, he could feel his lungs ready to give out. He had to push himself to the very limit to swim. How he wished he had chosen a wooden shield instead of a metal one. The extra buoyancy would've come in handy. His lungs were squeezing for air. A small lump was forming on his throat. It was all too dark to tell how far down he was. It felt like he wasn't moving, just swimming aimlessly. If it wasn't for the bubbles he let out, he wouldn't have even been able to tell which way was up or down. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the surface. Immediately, his lungs took in all the air they could. The battle was far from over, however.

The current had taken the tactician far away from the ship. It was a terrifying feeling. His only hope to get out of there was drifting away from him faster than he could swim to it. To make matters worse, even though he could see the ship clearly, the chances of someone spotting him was null. If he couldn't be seen, he would try to be heard. So every chance he got, he would yell at them in hopes that it would help them find him. "I'm here!" "This way!" There never was a response. The rain and the waves were making too much noise for his voice to carry all the way to them clearly. That wouldn't stop him from trying. He had too much to live for. He sheathed the dagger and got ready to start swimming.

Try as he may, things were looking more and more grim by the second. He was being pulled in a different direction than the ship was. Even without the net on him, he was being pulled down, disorienting him more. He would do his best to get to the surface and try to orient himself again only to see the ship getting further away. It was disheartening. It was a losing battle. As much as he tried, he was just using up his energy. There had to be another way… After being taken under for the fourteenth time, he noticed that while he wasn't getting closer to the ship, the distance to the shore was significantly smaller. This was good and bad news. On one hand, land meant safety. He could try going for it and then find shelter until the storm passed. On the other, who knew where the hell he was! They would have drifted off course for miles. A wave could very well trash him against rocks on his way there. Not only that, even _if_ he made it, how would he rejoin the rest...?

 _Fuck it._

A chance of surviving by heading for land was better than no chance at sea. Using what was left of his energy, Robin made his way to shore. The tide was helping him already, which meant he didn't have to use up all of his energy. But as he got closer, a new problem presented itself. When he was further out, a wave would pull him down and he would be okay. As he got closer to the shore, the waves would make him hit the sea floor. Hard. The number of bruises he would have by the end of it all would be greater than all the ones he had gained in the last year fighting. It wouldn't be a pretty sight. He found himself at the complete mercy of the tide. Even when he was able to poke his head out of the water long enough to catch his breath, he was immediately pulled under again. But he was getting closer! He had to stay optimistic… And he would've, had a wave not come crashing so hard into his that he hit the bottom head first. He felt his body go numb, his vision blurry, and all the air come out of his lungs. There was no final thought. There was no fight. It was a knockout.

When he started hearing voices, the first thing Robin thought was that he was in heaven. The voices weren't particularly special in any way. Their speech was… different, but nothing too extraordinary. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, only catching on to a few words. He couldn't move his body nor could he even open his eyes. Maybe he was in some sort of purgatory instead. The voices kept getting clearer and so were other sounds around him. He could hear the peaceful sound of water splashing. He could _feel_ the water splashing him. It made sense. The last thing he could remember was being close to shore before losing consciousness.

Finally, the voices sounded really close to him. He could finally hear them clearly.

"Fie, brother! We mustn't abandon someone in need," said the feminine voice.

"What do you propose we do?" The masculine voice questioned. "The man is of no use to us." Where they talking about him…?

"I… I am not sure… But we can't leave them here."

"He looks dead to me… Dragged in by the storm."

"Even if that were the case, leaving a body here would be unceremonious. The man must have family somewhere. The least we could do is give him a burial." He could hear steps getting even closer to him. Not that it mattered. For some reason, Robin couldn't move at all!

Out of nowhere, he felt a boot dig into his gut. The shock was enough to spring him back to life. All the salt water that had made its way into his stomach and possibly his lungs came out in a burst. He heard the female gasp, most likely from seeing a man come back from death. Robin could only cough out more of the water as he tried sitting up. He felt hands lightly hitting his back in an effort to help him. His vision slowly returned too. As he coughed, he looked at the person helping him. The woman was on her knees to his right. She had long, black hair and fair skin like Tharja. He would've called out his lover's name, had the image not been sharp enough for him to see he was mistaken. This woman wasn't Tharja. Her facial features were too different—most noticeably her eyes—and wore a white headband.

"'Tis a miracle!" The woman said, looking up to the other figure. "Work of Naga, I am sure. You are lucky to be alive, ser." Robin had to hold back from rolling his eyes. Miracles were bullshit. It didn't matter if it was Naga's or Grima's doing. They were all the same nonsense.

Robin was able to regain his composure long enough to turn to the other figure that was to his left. It was a tall man. He wore white armor, and, like himself, had white hair, though his was much longer. He looked stoic as he looked down at the tactician. Robin furrowed his brow as he muttered his first words. "Did you just fucking kick me?!"

"Fie, friend! My brother may not have the tact for situations like this, but he meant well. He believed you were dead-"

Robin turned to look at the woman. "He kicked me! Even I was dead, who on their right mind just _kicks_ a body?!"

"I… Won't deny that it didn't happen…" The girl stood up, dusting her knees and her garbs before extending a helping hand to Robin, which he took. Whatever the man's fault was, the girl was being awfully helpful. Perhaps she felt guilty about her brother's actions. "What is your story, friend? How is it you ended up here?"

"Can I ask where "here" is, exactly?"

The girl looked confused. It was as if the question was too stupid to be uttered. She turned to look at the other man and then back at the tactician. "This is the Hamayi Coastline," she explained. "You are in Chon'sin."

* * *

I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the first chapter went down! I wasn't too sure if making an M rated fic would get much attention or not, but with he number of followers and favorites it got just with this one chapter... Thanks a lot, everyone!

Let me see, what can I say about this chapter? Not an awful lot of action, I know. I didn't want to skip the whole trip, since there were a few plot points I wanted to bring in during the voyage. I included a new minor OC, but don't worry about him. Chances are that he won't show up too much compared to Shaw and Izzy.

From the very start I knew I wanted to make a mock reference to how Chrom and Lissa found Robin. But making it cheesy and have everyone be happy didn't feel right, so I went with one a little more realistic/comedic. That being said, don't expect to see too many jokes like that in the future. This is meant to be a more serious fic.

I've been working on a list of characters that I can easily bring in in the near future. I _might_ also bring in future children much sooner than in the game (not Lucina in this case.) That's still up in the air, but we'll see.

I'm drawing a blank as to what else I wanted to say, so I'll leave it there for now.

Remember to leave a review to let me know what you think (good or bad) and to follow and/or favorite the story if you want to see more of it in the future.

On to responses!

 **Latteas** \- Wow! Pretty high praise! That's not a complaint, I'm really flattered. I hope I can keep the same level all throughout the whole story. Personally, I don't like to see AN's other than at the beginning and the end of the story. Same deal with Horizontal lines. I know people use them to make breaks between sections of a chapter. I would normally go for a double space, but FFN doesn't let you do that, so I have to find ways around it. I'm glad you mention the whole "badass Robin" thing, cus that's something I'm certainly trying to do. There are just too many fics that make Robin look like a wimp. Just trying to change that a little, haha.

 **Muggzy-** Thanks! Yeah, OCs are really necessary for stories like this so that the world feels more inhabited. When you have a main character traveling with a small group but only talking with the same two or three people over and over again it can get dull, so I'm trying my best to find a good balance that will keep everyone happy. I'm glad that you approve of my Robin x Tharja. Also, happy to see you checking out this story as well!

 **Gunlord500-** Thank you very much. Hope to see you around here in the future too :P

 **allen Vth-** Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm trying to stay away from making too many because once more canon characters show up, the OC's would just get neglected anyways. Haha, good to know my Anna was good. She is one of those characters that I'm still not too sure about since her Supports are so limited. I have a bunch of things written down for what is going on/going to happen in Ylisse without Robin, but that will only be heard of in the story or until they meet who knows how far in the future. I know what you mean about Tharja. She shows up in a lot of stories, but she's always portrayed as annoying/homewrecker. Gotta give her some lovin' every once in a while!


	3. Chapter 3: Chon'sin

Hello everyone! It's been a little while, hasn't it? Sorry! Fallout 4 came out and, well, I just got really into it. After work I would just play and play and play.

On other news, I'm thinking about getting a beta reader for my stories. If you are interested in being the beta reader for this story or one of my others, send me a PM telling me which one you would like to help with.

Anyways, that's all I got to say for the time being, _so_ here we go!

Remember to leave a review to tell me what you think of the story so far. Also, favorite and/or follow the story if you really like it! Enjoy~

* * *

 _Chapter 3: Chon'sin_

When visiting a foreign land, it is common for people to throw glances at someone that doesn't belong to their community, especially in small, out of the way villages where everyone knows one another. The problem about these small villages is that word spreads like wildfire. Be it because of bored housewives or troublesome children that get overly excited about anything new, remaining inconspicuous is close to impossible. So when two people dragged with them a foreigner, this was to be expected. Between his attire, his white hair, and his tall stature even by Plegian standards, Robin was getting a lot of attention. He could hear the gossip going around them, even if people tried hiding their mouths behind their hands. Every time he would look at them, they would glance away. But they weren't only looking at him, no, they were looking at his traveling companions too. The two of them stood out in their own way, with their fancy looking armor and their proud stride when they walked. It was as if they were emitting some grandeur that sparked curiosity and awe in the bystanders.

Even the way those two sat was funny. They had their legs under them with their hands resting on their laps. This made them look taller, even when they were just sitting down. Their backs were also straight as an arrow. Just looking at them was tiring for the Plegian, who'd oped to sit cross legged and hunched over, resting his head on his hand with his arm poised on the short table between them. The three of them remained silent as they waited for a waitress to serve them tea. Many would find silence uncomfortable; Robin did not. He was used to it. Many of the fights he'd lead had been completely silent. Nonverbal communication. The slightest change in someone's face or body movement was enough for a mutual understanding. From how they sat and their stoic faces, he could tell that the two of them weren't just two nobodies.

They'd been directed to a small booth of sorts with paper divisors so that they could get some privacy, but Robin could feel the eyes of other patrons going to them. And even if the three of them were silent, he could clearly hear the kids "whispering" to each other as they peaked at them from behind one of the divisors. Still, neither he nor the other two were bothered by it. Kids were kids. If they shooed them away they would just come back with greater numbers and do the exact same thing. They were insane.

As if to mimic them, when the waitress came back carrying a pot and three clay cups, she said nothing. With all the grace in the world, she placed the cups on the table and proceeded to pour the steaming tea into the different cups, all while smiling with her eyes like crazy. Was she really that proud of her job? Being a waitress isn't bad, but to act like that when serving tea was too much. Then again, there was a cultural gap that was far too great for him to know for sure that he was correct or not. The girl placed the cups in front of each of them, and then the pot on the center of the table before standing up, offering a small bow, and retiring to take care of the other people in the establishment.

The two locals quickly went for the tea, holding the cup in a delicate manner—with a hand at the bottom of it for extra support. The slurping sound they made as they drank the beverage was somewhat disturbing, but Robin would never point it out to them. He was the strange one there, with no knowledge of local customs, and he knew it. He just drank the thing as he normally would: silently. The three of them brought down their cups simultaneously and exchanged looks. The female cleared her throat to show that she was ready to talk.

"So you say you are a mercenary that came to Chon'sin from Plegia," the girl said as she looked curiously at Robin. "'Tis an interesting tale, ser. Though it is hard to believe some of the details you have mentioned. But what I still don't understand is what has brought you to Chon'sin? What were you looking to achieve? You must know about the current situation the continent of Valm is facing, no?"

"What could a mercenary possibly come to seek in a land in turmoil, I wonder?" Robin retorted sarcastically. "I mean no disrespect. You are treating me to tea, after all. But I think you are looking for complicated answers when the simple one is right in front of you. Mercenaries thrive off war. You can make a good name of yourself, get paid well, and hone your skills with a variety of weapons while exploring a new, foreign land."

She frowned, as if displeased by being taken lightly. "You speak honestly, ser. And though I do agree with your points, it bothers me that you would believe that an army would hire a single man for a war. Chon'sin can count on over one hundred thousand armed men and women with years of experience in combat. Adding one more soul to those ranks won't change the tide of a battle. What's more, you don't have a weapon nor coin to purchase a replacement." Both of the items she mentioned he'd left on the ship, whether that was for the best or not was still up in the air.

"You are assuming I came here alone. First rule of combat: just because you don't see, smell, or hear people around you doesn't mean you are alone. Likewise, I am here by myself, but I came to Chon'sin with a force of twenty two—twenty three if you count the stowaway we found on the ship after we'd set sail. They have my sword, my gold, and my ship with them. It's just a matter of regrouping before we present ourselves to some army official or another."

"A force of twenty three," repeated the man, who'd spoken for the first time since Robin had open his eyes. "What is that in the face of an army of over half a million trained soldiers that Walhart controls? Have you a special weapon that will allow you to kill thousands of men in a single battle? You will foolishly go into battle with your delusion of grandeur and be crushed by an overwhelming force the likes you've never seen before. Find your people, get on your ship, and sail away while you still can. Chon'sin does not need the help of a small fry sellsword."

"Brother!" The girl slammed her palms on the table, making it shake and the cups spill some of their contents. "You are too quick to dismiss people. Though I agree that twenty three is a small force, they could be of help none the less."

"If numbers were all that mattered, the Conqueror would never have come to power," said Robin. "If numbers were all that mattered, Chon'sin and the rest of this continent would have fallen prey to Walhart long ago. You've said it yourself, he holds an army of half a million men or more. But when have you seen his whole army—every single one of his soldiers—gathered together? Never. A good leader spreads his forces across his lands to keep order and prevent enemy advances. These smaller groups are subdivided even more and so on. That's how an army works. You would be surprised at how effective a small force can be against a bigger one. Fear will push people to the extreme. Confidence makes them lazy and predictable. So tell me, who would win in a fight? Those that know they have to give it their all in order to see another day? Or those that think they've already won solely based on their numbers?"

The girl smiled fondly at Robin. It seemed as if his words had rang true to her. Something told him that despite her composed exterior, she was the stubborn type. That made for a good fighter and a great leader in times of need. If possible, he would like to see her fight; her light armor that protected only her arms and legs and her two single-edged swords were a giveaway that she was experienced in the battlefield. The man, on the other hand, was impossible to read. He looked like he was giving it some thought, but it was hard to tell if he was pleased or just annoyed at Robin for challenging him. Robin took the silence as an opportunity to drink some more of his tea. Oddly enough, as soon as he reached out for his cup, the other two did as well. He wondered if that was also some sort of cultural thing. As they brought down the cups it was the girl who once again broke the silence.

"Well said, ser-" She had to stop herself. It was then that the Plegian remembered that, despite talking since that morning, they'd yet to exchange names. As to confirm that this was what was bothering her, she continued, "I'm sorry. I don't believe you've told us your name. I remember asking, but you were focusing on what my brother had done to you to wake you up."

"The name's Robin," the tactician said. "Just Robin. I don't know how it is here, but in the east, only people that are of noble families or reach knighthood get to have a last name."

"Ser Robin it is, then," said the girl. "Tell me, what do you plan to do now?"

"I search for my people as soon as possible. I'm responsible for them coming all the way to Chon'sin. I can't just abandon them to their own fate, even if they are better off right now than I am. I'll head south-west from village to village until I find them. They couldn't have landed too far away. A Plegian ship should stand out from what people around these parts are used to. I'm sure I can track them down faster than they could track me."

"Perhaps we could travel together," the girl offered. "It just so happens that we are headed in that direction too. We are to check on the villages to confirm reports of enemy forces and bandits roaming these parts. If you helped us along the way, it will be easier to present your case once you have your whole group back together. Don't you think so, brother?" She turned to look at the man sitting next to her, looking for whatever word of approval he would give. Her plan wasn't that bad… for Robin at least. He would get to go with locals, which meant that the chances of getting lost or getting sick from eating some of the local flora would be significantly diminished.

"'Tis a waste of time," the man said as he got up. "It was your idea to come this far south even after it was decided we would be moving back north. It is foolish to move further from our goal. If you intend on continuing with this, then you will be doing it on your own, sister. As for me, I'll return to the capital to examine our next move." He turned to lock eyes with Robin. "I don't know if you are a man that deserves to be trusted just yet, sell-sword. As strong as you may be, if my sister decides to take you with her, do not think you can take advantage of her. Despite her looks, she is strong. Should you somehow able to overpower her, know that I'll be your next opponent." Immediately after saying his part, the man walked out of the small building, denying the other two a chance to respond. It was strange for a brother to be so… detached from their sibling. Or at least, that's what Robin thought. With no siblings of his own, he only had his own experience with his makeshift family to compare to.

The girl let out a long and heavy sigh, looking the least bit surprised by the man's actions. "Please, don't think ill of my brother," she said, returning to look at the tactician. "He means well, though his actions may not show it. He has much weighing on him right now. He tends to keep to himself and be distrustful. Still, by the way he spoke, I am sure that he has some small hope for you yet, Ser Robin. What do you say? About my proposition, that is?"

"I'm not against the idea," he said as he scratched the back of his head, giving it some more thought. "But without any coin to speak of, visiting these towns will be difficult for me. I wouldn't be able to pay for food, let alone lodging-" She quickly raised a hand, which made him stop.

"Fear not," she said. "If you give me your aid for my cause, I will make sure you can have any food you need as well as secure a place for you to stay on the villages. You could think of it as partial payment for coming as my bodyguard, if you like. The other part of your payment being taking you to meet with your friends. I know some men will feel emasculated by having a female pay for everything with nothing in return. This should be sufficient to put you at ease, yes?"

"When you put it like that, it is hard to argue," he agreed. "Under normal circumstances I would give this a lot more thought, but given that I can't even afford to do that much, I say you got yourself a deal, lassy." He grinned at her and extended his right hand for a handshake. For the time being, that would have to suffice for their verbal contract. She return the gesture with a smile before shaking hands. "There is still something bothering me. You know my name, but I still don't know yours. I could call you Boss, given that you _did_ hire me, but I rather check with you in case you find that insulting."

"That is very thoughtful of you, Ser Robin. Much more than I would expect from an ordinary mercenary. You may call me Say'ri. I will be in your care." She bowed slightly. Robin wondered if she too lacked a last name, but found it bothersome to ask given that it would not affect him in any way if she had one or not. "I hope we can get along. Now with that out of the way, let us discuss our next move." Once more, she adopted a more serious tone, sitting with her back straight and her hands on her lap. "If we are to travel, I suggest we gather supplies here at the village before setting off. A small amount of food, waterskins, and a couple of bedrolls too. I would include the need to equip you with a weapon, but, unfortunately, this village does not count with a weapons seller nor a blacksmith to forge one for you."

Robin wasn't going to complain about getting supplies. After finishing their tea and having a small meal—paid by Say'ri, of course—the two of them went out to look for what they needed. This time around, there weren't that many people looking their way. Perhaps the idea of seeing a foreigner had died out or maybe they'd been curious because he was being escorted by two people, not that Robin minded either way. The only ones that kept on looking were mostly the kids, some of whom had followed after them after leaving the restaurant.

The supply list was small. In a city, everything they needed could be found in a single store—one of many around. This village was more traditional, just like one would expect from a place looked so isolated. Their first stop was going directly to a farmer, who was nice enough to sell them some of his grain and vegetables. The graying man even included a small sack with it, which came handy. The farmer directed them to their second destination: a leatherworker's home at the other side of town. There they got two brand new waterskins, which craftsmanship was impeccable. Items of that quality would fetch a high price anywhere else, but because the man hardly sold any outside of his community, he had to keep his prices low. Robin decided to take a mental note of the place and to tell Anna about it. If there was a chance to make a profit, she would take it. And if he got part of that profit for giving her the information, then all the more power to her. As it happened, the leather worker also ended up selling them a couple of bedrolls he'd made a long time ago at a discounted price, cutting the need to go to a third place to get them.

Robin was amazed at how little Say'ri had to spend without bargaining. She spent so little that the only way she could have saved more was if the villagers had given the items for free—almost happened, but she insisted on paying for everything. Unfortunately, even with all their supplies ready, most of which were being carried by Robin after insisting to do so, they weren't that much closer to leave the village. The sun was already down low on the horizon, just an hour away from setting. If they left, they'd have to stop and make camp at the outskirts. It was because of this that they decided to stay in town for the night and set off at sunrise.

Finding a place to stay for the night was easy. They headed back to the restaurant that they had been in earlier that day—it happened to be a small inn too—to see if they had a room available. Luckily for them, there just so happened to be one last room open for the night, but it only had a single bed in it. Since Say'ri paid for it, he told her to sleep there with the supplies and that he would find some other place to sleep. Besides, if a certain dark mage he held very dear somehow found out about him sleeping in the same room as another woman, alone, then that would cause a lot of trouble for future him. He wasn't going to risk that. He wouldn't put it past her to have hexed him to know if something like that ever happened. Besides, it wasn't as if he needed a bed to sleep. Years of traveling had helped him gain the ability to sleep just about anywhere. The restaurant had a small stable at the back. Sleeping on a pile of hay wouldn't be too bad, unless the stables hadn't been cleaned. As the old Plegian saying goes: "If you have a woman, better sleep with a horse than a whore." Not that he would do anything with Say'ri…or that he was into besitiality in anyway… It was a strange saying.

"Are you certain about this, Ser Robin?" Say'ri asked as she walked with him to check the stables. Since he'd said he would sleep there she'd been persistent about looking for a better place for him to spend the night. The girl was _too_ stubborn about minor things. "We could try asking one of the townsmen if they have some space to spare for you. 'Tis customary for guests to be accommodated by townsfolk if the inn is out of space. If we are traveling together, I don't want to see you fall ill after spending a night in the stables."

"Stop worrying that much about it," said Robin, cringing after having to said something like that. "I'll be fine. I'm used to it. What kind of mercenary would I be if I couldn't handle a single night sleeping at an odd place? Don't underestimate us Plegians. We don't die or fall ill that easily. Besides, troubling strangers for a place to stay is just too much…" He stopped on his tracks and turned to look at her, offering a small smile. "I could bother you, since you are my employer, but I rather not-"

Before he could finish his thought, he heard a horn being played. He immediately turned to look in the direction the sound was coming from. Horns rarely brought with them good news. They usually meant to gather people or order people around. And guessing from the stares that the few townspeople that were around had on their faces, Robin could tell this one wasn't for the former of the two. He gritted his teeth. Yes, it could only mean one thing when someone sounded a horn that late in the day. "Blasted marauders…" he cussed under his breath. Turning to look at Say'ri, who looked half as confused as the others, he decided to take action. "We need to gather the people and get them outta here. An attack is happening any minute now!"

"H-How could you possibly know that?" Say'ri asked. Her stutter caught Robin off guard. She didn't look like one to get nervous about such things, considering she was supposed to be checking on villages for that same reason. For now, he would let it slide as her being surprised by his knowledge.

"Trust me, I know… No time for chit-chat! Get yourself and everyone you can to the farm at the other side of the village. It is far enough for us to look for a way to counter attack any incoming forces."

"Fie! You would have them abandon everything without a chance to fight? What if these marauders put the whole town to the torch?" She looked at him in disgust, something he wasn't used to.

"Better to be alive with nothing than dead with a purse full of gold, I say. Things can be replaced. Houses can be rebuilt. Lives? You only get one of those…" He wouldn't let her waste any more time. He vaulted out of there as soon as he could, shouting back at her to check the opposite side of town than him, that way she would be heading towards the farm while he would take his chances in catching a glimpse of the incoming force. If she was smart, she would do as he'd said. It would be up to the two of them to gather everyone as quick as possible to minimize the loss of lives. In a messed up way, the attack couldn't have come at a better time. If he could show what his skills to Say'ri, then getting a referral later on would be much easier. If it came down to fighting, then he would have a problem. All he had was his shield… and Tharja's dagger, which he'd kept quiet about all along, in case his saviors turned out to be less heroic than he first thought.

Every single one of the people he found were wary of him. Why wouldn't they be? A strange man comes running towards them and then tells them to head to a barn? They had to question themselves if they should follow his advice or not. They would eventually do as they'd been told and leave the area, but not before having eaten a lot of Robin's time, time which he didn't have much of. The streets rapidly became desolated except for himself, but he still had to run up and down the dirt road to see if anyone was hiding in their homes, hoping to not be spotted or stupid enough to try and defend their property with brooms or whatever else they had at hand.

As he was checking the last house on his side of the village, he could hear the hooves of a group of horses hitting the dirt. _They are here,_ he thought. Crouching, he moved himself towards one of the windows that were in the houses he checked last. From there, he could see them enter. They dressed lightly, only wearing leather armor if any at that. They didn't carry any banners with them either, which was further proof that these men were nothing more than marauders. The group wasn't all that big, with only thirteen fighters that Robin could see. They had different weapons, like swords, axes, and lances, but not a single one of them had a tome nor a staff. Good news. The tactician couldn't use any magic, and from what he'd seen of Say'ri, she couldn't either. That meant that they would be at a complete disadvantage as long as they weren't attacked by all of those men at the same time. If only he had his sword with him he would feel more secure about his own prowess…

"Split off 'n' search fer them folk," barked a man that could be called the leader, though he didn't stand out in any way from the rest of the band. "We keep the women fer ourselves, capture any brats to sell, and kill the rest." The rest grunted in affirmation as they got off of their horses and started the search. Robin ducked under to hide himself from prying eyes. They were marauders _and_ slavers. Just what they needed. Chon'sin had prepared a warm welcome for him.

Scouting was all well and good, but he had to make his way back to the farm to meet up with Say'ri and make sure everyone was safe. It was already getting dark. It was the perfect time for sneaking around undetected. Under normal circumstances, this would be an easy task for the leader of the rebellion. He'd done it hundreds of times before. He was no burglar, but if he was he would be a good one. But this was different. There was just too much empty space between him and his final destination. Covering so much ground without being detected relied heavily on luck being on his side. These weren't soldiers he was dealing with. They didn't patrol an area over and over again. These were ants, moving sporadically around the place, crossing paths, double or even triple checking areas for no other reason than lack of communication and coordination.

Years of experience allowed Robin to remain calm. His breathing had even slowed down as he prepared himself. It wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done. Taking one last look outside to see that the coast was clear, he dashed out the back door of the house and slid into cover behind the next building. Every time he wanted to move, he had to make sure that he wouldn't be spotted. This meant there was a lot of waiting involved. It was worth it, though, as it was this way that he made it all the way to the outskirts of town. Now he was faced with one last obstacle: the open field of carrots that separated him and the barn where the entire village was hidden.

What he needed was a distraction; something that would keep the marauders from looking his way. A small idea popped into his head. With no one around, the smallest noise would peak the interest of those searching around. If he could cause just enough to not make them suspicious of something going on behind their backs, the plan would work. But he didn't have much to work with. The best he could do was gather pebbles no bigger than his thumb. Once he had a dozen of them in his hand, he threw them as hard as he could. Almost all of them hit one of the walls of a house opposite of him. If everyone nearby inspected the place, he would be able to run for it.

That was just what happened. Five of the guys that were closest to the building went ahead to check it out. With not a soul in sight, Robin had to play the odds. It wasn't about being sneaky anymore. He had to get out of there, fast. Breaking into a full run, he moved out of cover and into the field. The ground was uneven because of the carrots that were planted, making it hard to run, but this didn't keep him from reaching his goal. The farmhead wouldn't be happy that he'd stomped some of his vegetables, but damned if he cared that much!

When he entered the barn, he was greeted with the end of a sword pointed to his chest. The wielder of said sword was none other than Say'ri, whose killing intent was ready to take on anyone that came in without any hesitation. Had he entered the room running, he would've ended impaled with that sword on his chest. A sorry end for what was meant to be the most important mission of his life. Robin put up his hands, showing that he meant no harm. "Easy there, it's just lil ol' me," he told her in a calming tone. She sighed in relief and sheathed her swords while Robin closed the door behind him. The room was filled with all the town's people. Men, women, children, and the elderly. There were twenty eight people in there, Say'ri and Robin excluded.

"Everyone is accounted for," Say'ri told him. "We have you to thank for alerting us when you did. Had we tried to evacuate everyone a moment later, who knows how many would have perished. For that you have my sincere gratitude." She bowed to him. "But now we are trapped here with no plan other than waiting for those men to find us… I will fight if I have to, but I can't say the same for the rest of the people here. None of them have ever seen combat before. We need to think of something with haste."

"Already on it," he told her as he looked some more around the place. While most of the people there were certainly unprepared for battle, they only needed one or two more capable bodies to get the task done. He could fight and so could Say'ri, but the question was who else they could take with them that wouldn't drag them down? He eyed the group of people. The younger ones were crying in their mother's' arms. The old looked tired. The men and women that looked young enough to fight looked too tired from working all day on the fields or what have them. All of them were useless… Except that there was one single person that caught Robin's interest. A woman with long blonde hair and somewhat familiar attire, both attributes that made her stick out like a sore thumb. While the others panicked, she seemed to be calm, looking off into the distance with a serene expression. Robin approached the woman and called out to her with Say'ri trailing behind him. "Oy," he said, getting the attention from everyone in the quiet room, "the blonde one. You got a second?"

The woman turned her body just enough to face Robin, her hands by her side. From her belt dangled a mace that came down from her fight hip. Robin smirked. He knew that she wasn't just some traveler. Those robes. He _knew_ what they meant. The blonde looked between Robin and Say'ri before she spoke. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you to help me kill some baddies, that's all," Robin said nonchalantly. "Not that big of a deal, right? I mean, your kind always go around helping those in need, no? How about it? You'll be doing this town a big favor."

"Fie! Watch your tongue, Ser Robin," Say'ri almost barked. "You can't ask someone to do something like that in such a manner. A woman of the church of Naga-"

"It's man, actually," the blonde said. Both Robin and Say'ri remained quiet, as they were astounded by the realization. This person—this man—had a very androgynous face. Add to it the long hair and figure that was for the most part hidden underneath the robes of Naga, and you could see why it was easy to confuse him for a her. "Do not fret over it. I've been mistaken for the gentler gender time and time again in the past. It is a normal occurrence… As to helping you, I am more than willing. I am a war monk. My training focused heavily on the healing arts, though I can keep up with the best of them on a fight."

"A war monk, a myrmidon, and a mercenary are talking in a barn… It sounds like that start of a bad joke," Robin said trying to lower the tension in the room. "With you, we have enough to fight. There are only thirteen of them. Each of us will have to take out four of them. If this was a frontal assault, they would have the upper hand based solely on numbers. But that's not the case, as we are the only ones that know that there will be a fight. _We_ have the element of surprise. We can enter a battle when and where we want to."

He walked over to check the tools they had at their disposal. There wasn't much there other than fertilizer and some farming tools; a hoe, a shovel, a pitchfork- "Oh?" He grabbed the most interesting one there. A sickle. It was as close as he would get to a sword in there. With its curved design and extremely sharp edge meant to cut grass, it would do nicely as a standin. The blade had just been sharpened, but it looked failed. It had to be used for years to get to that shape. If he could use it to off one or two men he would be happy since he could just pick up the weapon off of the bodies. "This will do nicely."

"A sickle?" Say'ri asked, not convinced that it would hold up against a sword. "Will it be enough to cut through armor? And what of defense? It isn't made with parrying in mind…"

"No need to worry. For the former, these guys aren't wearing any armor. Whether that is bold or stupid we will have to see. Either way, this is enough to cut through bone. And as for the latter, that's what the shield is for. For extra security, I also have this." He took out the dagger from the back of his belt with his left hand and showed it to the woman. "Also not meant to be used for combat, but if you combine all these together you get a decent offense and defense."

Say'ri sighed. "I suppose 'tis necessary… I won't question you about your decisions. You've survived this long by your lonesome self. I suppose you would know what you can and can't do. So, tell us, what is the plan?"

Getting the two up to speed was simple. He explained that instead of treating this as an all out fight, they would go in as an assassination squad, offing enemies one at a time. If they did it right, they would be able to get it all done without any of the marauders knowing what was happening. It all rest on the execution of his plan. This would be the first time either of the other two had worked in a way that had them stay completely silent, which meant that the chances for something going wrong were high. Still, they had to risk it to gain some sort of advantage.

With weapons in hand, the three of them left the barn. Say'ri told the villagers that they should remain quiet and out of sight until she came back for them. No doubt this would make them nervous. If the three of them were to fail it would cost them their lives… But they didn't have a choice other than follow the instructions they were given. Thankfully, Say'ri seemed to be well respected with the people, which made it easier for them to get out of there without losing too much time.

Their first encounter came as they reached the first house. They took cover behind the outer wall, hoping not to be spotted by any other enemies, after Robin gave them a signal to stop and listen. Form inside the house came the voices of two men discussing how they hadn't found anyone yet and where they could be hiding they were distracted enough. Ever so carefully, Robin moved slowly towards the back door of the houses. Thankfully, the houses in that village had large sliding doors that were all open, probably to have good airflow indoors and because the village was small enough that everyone would know each other. No one would steal from acquaintances, after all.

The tactician slowly peaked inside to get a better sense of the location of the enemies. One of them was hunched over a chest, taking out the many items from within and spreading them around. The other was crouched down, doing the same thing to some crate that was near the kitchen. Both of them were facing away from the door. A struck of luck. Robin turned back to look at Say'ri and the monk and nodded. Without making a sound, the three of them entered the room. Robin pointed the sickle on his right hand towards the man over the crate, indicating he wanted the other two to take him out. He continued to walk towards the one over the chest. When he was in position—close enough to be within range but far enough not to be detected—he nodded to the other two. They were ready.

In one swift move, Robin was standing behind his target. He used his right forearm to pull the man's head up and to cover his mouth. Before the man could even have a chance to react, Robin already had the dagger at his neck. There was no fight nor muffled cries for help. Robin didn't give him a chance for that. The steel dug in deep through the flesh, the muscle, and the windpipe of the man, blood spraying all over the chest, the floor, and the wall. Robin let go of the body. It fell down on top of the chest, a gargling sound still coming out of the man.

A gasp and a grunt made Robin turn to look over at Say'ri. Her target was still standing and she was struggling to keep him silent. She was shorter and just smaller than the muscle man, who, even with a sword sticking out of his chest, was able to stand up. Say'ri looked in shock as the man lifted her with him as she clung to his neck from behind. Things were turning on them. Using the sickle, Robin jumped into action. He swung the farming tool at the man's head. Had Say'ri's arms not been around the man's neck, it would have been easier to take him down. Instead, the blade crashed into the man's head with enough force to pierce the skull. To make sure the man was done in good, Robin shook the sickle up and down to damage the brain some more until the man was nothing more than another corpse. This one hit the wooden floor hard with a thud.

A third man entered the room, alerted by either the struggle or the thud of the body. He looked in shock at the scene in front of him. Two of his own laid dead. His face contorted to one of fury. He was about to shout when a mace met his head with the whole weight of a certain monk behind it. The sound of the skull cracking would make most cringe in disgust. For Robin, it was an indication that he had to stop the body from hitting the floor like the last one. He jumped forward and caught it just in time. A sigh left his lips in relief as he set down the body. That was three down, ten to go. If only one of them had carried something other than axes Robin would have been more satisfied with the results.

The next set, was much easier to eliminate. In a very similar fashion than before, the three of them entered the village restaurant to see four men there. Say'ri and the monk were both in charge of one enemy each. Robin, having two weapons, took it upon himself to go two against one. First, he bashed the head of one of them with his shield to stagger them and get the attention of the other. He had to run towards the other to get the hit just in time. He used the knife, stabbing at the man's throat. He knew he had hit an artery when the blood came spewing out from the small wound and the man tried to put pressure on it with both of his hands. The mercenary followed up with an upward swing of the sickle. The blade went in just under the ribcage, but with a twist of the wrist, the end came out under the left collarbone. Robin quickly took out the bloody weapon and returned to finish off the first man, who was starting to regain his senses, not that Robin would let that finish. This time the sickle went in through the back, arched around the spine, and came out from the other side. To finish the man off all Robin had to do was pull. Every single major organ would be destroyed along with the spine. Say'ri and the monk both finished off their own opponent too, which brought them to over halfway done… Again, no swords! Robin was getting pissed off. He could use one of the axes—he was good with them too—but the things were hardly what you would call inconspicuous. Swinging the thing around would be difficult in close-quarters, and with the weight behind it, it would be hard to have quick kills.

The three defenders didn't get a chance to rest or celebrate their achievements thus far, however. There was a smell in the air that the three of them didn't want to find. Smoke. A lot of it. The three of them came out of the restaurant and saw that two different houses had been set ablaze. In front of them stood the six men that remained, all ready to jump them whenever the leader gave his signal. These men had more varying weapons. Three had swords, two had axes, and the leader carried a lance. The leader took a few steps forward and addressed them while the fire raged on.

"Well, well, well. What do we got 'ere? Three idiots playin' hero. Fuckin' rats. Think you could go round and get all of us, didn'tcha?" The man let out a boastful laugh, which his minions mimicked. "I'll give it t'ya. Did a good number on them idiots! If they were the strong type, I would be mad, but they were just numbers to me. And havin' ya off them so quietly! You'll pay fer that! We'll take our sweet time with the three of ya. Especially the two pretty ones."

"I'm sorry, but you are really not my type," said Robin as he smirked. "I got me a lady of my own waiting for me, you see. Can't cheat on her or she would kill me, then you, then me again. Besides, if I would take that risk, I would at least do it with a beauty, not some brute." Everyone went silent for a moment.

"What did ya' fuckin' say?! Heard that, men? This prick thinks himself a jester! Why don't we show him a lil' somethin to laugh about?"

"Ser Robin… was that really necessary?" Say'ri asked as she gritted her teeth, eyes still on the enemies. "Getting them mad doesn't seem-"

"Getting them mad is exactly what we want," Robin whispered back. "Anger makes people stupid, and stupid people make mistakes. Just wait and see… All of them will likely come for me. I will need you get two each. You take the two axemen, Say'ri. Blondie, you take two of the swordsmen. Leave the leader and the third swordsman to me. Got to play to your advantage." Say'ri and the monk nodded. They were already getting that Robin knew what he was doing. Questioning him at that point would have been useless.

Without wasting anymore time, the marauders took up their arms and ran towards Robin, just as he had predicted. He had to trust that his comrades would do their part and ignore all but the two men he said he would focus on. Moving as fast as his feet would take him, Robin ran forward to meet his enemies halfway. His dagger was on his left hand as he pushed his shield in front of him. His sickle he had on his right hand, having it behind and over his head to swing at a moment's notice. As he expected, the first blow came from the leader. The lancer thrust his weapon hoping for a quick kill, but Robin only had to adjust his left arm to have the lance collide with the shield. He quickly pushed the lancer off and braced himself for the next attack coming from the swordsman. The myrmidon came at him with a swing that was more flashy than deadly. It's big arch made it predictable. Robin was able to catch the sword with the guard on the dagger. To keep it in place, he used the sickle. The two men looked into each other's eyes, trying to see a hint of each other's next move.

The myrmidon tried to gain the advantage with a kick intended to land on Robin's stomach, but the Plegian merc saw it coming a mile away. With the balance of his opponent all in one leg, he released the man's sword from the sickle and pushed with the dagger before doing a small jump back. Out of reach of the kick, he countered with his own attack. The sickle met the man's ribcage. It had to go through one of the lungs of the man. With a good grip on his opponent, Robin twisted the sickle and used it to pull the man in. He stabbed the man once, then again, then again until he knew that he wouldn't get up again. In less than a minute since the fight had started, the man was dead. Unfortunately, he went down with the sickle… part of it, anyway. The now broken makeshift weapon was nothing more than a handle and a small piece of metal. It was useless, so Robin just tossed it aside before turning his attention towards the leader, who was back on his feet and look angrier than ever. "Not bad for a jester, yes?" Robin taunted.

By all means, he was at a disadvantage. His only weapon was much shorter than his enemy's. If he could he would try to get a hold of the sword that was on the ground, but if he tried he would be open for an attack. _The dagger will have to do,_ he thought. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about what Tharja would do to him if he were to break the dagger. He shook his head to get his mind back in the game. He would just have to make every hit count. He switched the dagger to his right hand and prepared himself.

Instead of waiting, this time Robin took the initiative and went for an early advantage. The downside of using a weapon like a lance is that if someone got too close, then the weapon becomes nothing more than a stick; useless unless one knows how to use it well or is smart enough to break it in half and use it as two shorter combat sticks. This lancer wasn't all that smart. Though he kept jumping back to create some distance, Robin was still able to get close again and again. Even when the man tried going on the offensive, Robin's defense with his shield and his dexterity kept him out of harm's way. It was a waste of energy in the marauder's part, one that Robin would take complete advantage of. The man swung around the lance again, leaving himself open. Robin let it hit his side. He would be sore because of it, but it was worth it. He held onto the weapon with his left hand as he slashed at the man's throat with the dagger.

To keep himself alive, the marauder leaned back as far as he could. The blade just barely cut his skin. A small, thin cut was all the sign that the attack had been a hit. But that wasn't what Robin was after. He had sung his arm around with that movement to grab onto the lance. With the man having had to step back, Robin was able to put all his weight into getting the enemy's weapon away from him. Twisting his body and now with the dagger on his right hand and the lance on his left, it was obvious who the winner of the fight was. He flipped the lance around so that the pointy end was facing his enemy. "It's your loss," Robin told the man as the lance was thrust through his enemy. The final count… thirteen marauders dead, two burned down houses, and no civilian casualties. Not bad for a day's work.

With the fight over, Say'ri ran back to get the villagers out of the barn. In a show of camaraderie, ran to the burning houses and started working together to get the fire out. Everyone except for the outsiders that were Robin and the monk. But while the monk had the excuse of looking after the children of the village, Robin was preoccupied with looting the bodies. A golden opportunity to get some gold and equipment had presented itself. He had to take advantage of that. The bodies yielded more copper than gold. No wonder they had attacked the village in the first place! Their weapons left much to be desired too. All the swords were single edged curved swords. The balance felt off for Robin. And as for the axes, they were all bronze and looked like they were about to break. Worthless. The lance he'd used to kill the band's leader? That wasn't half bad. It had a good balance of weight and length and it was in a rather good condition. It would serve well until he got a hold of his own sword again.

"You seem happy," said the monk as he approached Robin. "You are a true mercenary. You take the spoils of battle before offering a helping hand to others."

"Oy, I don't like that tone, Ylissean," Robin answered aggressively. "I've had loooong week and I'm tired. I helped keep them all alive, didn't I? at the very least you have to admit that much."

"And we all are grateful for your kindness, Ser Robin," said Say'ri as she joined them. "You've shown what you were capable of in a splendid way. Now I see that your talk about numbers had it's merits. If your men are as half as good as you claim them to be, then you will be a good addition to the imperial army." Robin nodded her way, grateful that someone appreciated his work. "As for you, Ser monk, you too have the gratitude of this town as well as my own. 'Tis rare to see strangers that willingly put themselves in harm's way for others. Dare I ask, what's brought you here? If you are from Ylisse as Ser Robin said, you too are far from your homeland."

"Certainly, Hime," the monk said as he bowed to the myrmidon. "I'm in the middle of my pilgrimage. I've journeyed across Ylisse, to Rosanne, and finally to Chon'sin tracing the steps of many that have come before me in hopes to reach the Voice of Naga and get her blessing." Robin rolled his eyes, but it went unnoticed. "Unfortunately, do to the current… situation that plagues Valm, my journey has come to a halt. The Mila Tree has been taken by Walhart. His forces have turn away all the visit it, I'm told…"

"Aye, so I've heard. It is but another authority that Walhart has committed… For the time being, why not come with me and Ser Robin? If you are to travel, better to do it in good company. Our final destination is ultimately the imperial capital, but not before traveling around the coast for some time. Mayhaps you could join the resistance as well and be part of the force that will free the Mila Tree and the rest of Valm from Walhart's clutches."

The monk gave the invitation some thought. "Your offer is a tempting one, Hime. I shall accept it. See as my skills could do more good elsewhere, I shall accompany you both on your journey. You may call me Libra."

"'Tis decided then," Say'ri said with a smile. "We had plans to depart tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't feel at ease leaving the town in its current condition. Ser Robin, would you mind if we stayed here for another day or two and helped the villagers rebuild?"

Robin sighed. It would seem that getting back to his people would take longer than he had expected. Not only that, but for better or worse, they would be taking the monk Libra with them. Having a healer come with them was good. Having one that could fight was even better. But the tactician wondered if it would be worth having to listen to him preach about Naga the whole way. "You hired me, so it's up to you…"

* * *

Robin will go through weapons like a beast! For some reason I like the idea of him using a sickle after I wrote this... Not gonna happen, though. Going to war against people with battleaxes and what not with a sickle would be plain stupid. For now, a lance! There aren't that many characters that use lances without spears, so I thought it would be a cool change of pace. Never seen a Robin with a lance before.

Characters. Yes, we see a few characters here from the game, thanks the gods(?). Say'ri, Yen'fay, and Libra come in, though Yen'fei made a quick exit. Couldn't be helped. He commands a real army, not just a guerrilla group like Chrom did. Because his name was never said, Robin doesn't know that he was speaking with the emperor and princess of Chon'sin! Libra even calls Say'ri Hime, obviously knowing who she is, but Robin still has no idea! Pool fella.

So the journey begins! I have a good idea of what will happen for the next few chapters. What I haven't decided yet is the exact order. I'm debating whether he should meet up with the rest anywhere between a couple of chapters to a handful. Just one more thing to think about. I also already know the scenarios I'll be using to recruit some of the other people, including a couple of the future children, who will be making their appearance much sooner than they did in the game, though they won't say they are from the future, of course. Look forward to that!

On to responses!

 **potatoman098** -A very good point! Just because they are all friendly with one another and are fighting for "a good cause" doesn't mean that they lawful good, to speak in D &D terms. If they were to learn about Nowi being a manakete, there are some that would think about the money instead of her as a person... He didn't exactly lay low, did he? Hahaha. Still, a very similar thing is happening to what you mentioned. It's obvious that the crew would be out there looking for him. However, he knows where they were supposed to head as does Anna, so he will gamble with that. Visiting other towns along the way, he can search for clues there too. They could reunite in their original destination or not. Who knows, really?

 **Guest** -I think the problem is that many focus on one aspect of her personality. Then again, in most stories she will show up just a little bit, so we don't get to see much of her. Like any other human being, she is complex. She can be kind, she can be ruthless, she can be lovable, she can be annoying, etc. That's something that I want to explore more on this fic. She is such an interesting character when you dig down for info on her. I'm a little sad that she wasn't on this chapter xD That's why I'm thinking about when the reunion should be, haha!

 **Rennerd** -I'll take that as a compliment for this story... BUT AN INSULT TO MY OTHER ONE :[ All jokes aside, I'm happy to see that you think so highly of this one when it's only on its second chapter. To answer your question, I don't think he's thought about taking the throne himself at that point. Most likely he would be thinking about having someone else take the throne, though who that person be is up in the air. However, just because that's what he thinks now doesn't mean that that's what will happen. There is a high chance that he will sit on the throne at one point or another, whether he likes it or not. Democracy always sounds nice, but I don't think it works in the FE world. Might be just me. Besides, democracy is boooring! This chapter's second half was probably interesting for you and should hint at the idea that there are a lot more characters that will join Robin than you might think. I won't give away the who's just yet, though. You'll have to read on for that. The idea for the divide sounds interesting. I'll keep it in mind, but unless things go a certain way, I don't see it happening. As for Tharja, when I first made this account and started reading a bunch of FE:A fics, I kept seeing her be portrayed the same way. Some of the stories that I see now being updated are less mean on her, but none the less she is almost always shown as a wannabe homewrecker that seems to love Robin more than her own husband (whoever that might be) PS, thanks for pointing that out! I miss stupid things like that all the time :/ When I'm writing I'm thinking a few words ahead, so when I type it just happens and then I never notice. Pretty bad, I know.


	4. Chapter 4: Search

Literally every time I tried to work on this, I would get a call from work to do something else. It was _really_ annoying. I spent the last three days doing my best to finish this chapter before I got distracted by something else.

I think this story is being received very well. I'm glad you guys are liking it so far, even with the very little action that has happened. I like the idea of creating a darker universe than the game's, pushing that M factor hard, haha!

Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter. It's different from the others, but you'll see that in a second. Remember to leave a review to let me know what you guys think. Also, if you haven't already and you really enjoyed the story, remember to follow and/or favorite it so that you get notifications when a new chapter is published! Enjoy~

Oh, and before I forget, check out Uncertain Times: Stories Untold. I will be publishing short stories on there about the past of the characters from here, be it OCs or canon.

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 _Chapter 4: Search_

With the rise of the sun came the beginning of a new day. In the early hours of the morning, a figure tossed and turn on a bed. The dream she was having had her uneasy. Unfortunately for her, sleep hadn't come easy for the last few days. She was too worried about what they might or might not find all day that it even haunted her dreams. When her eyes finally shot open, she could feel the beads of sweat going down her body. She breathed heavily, trying to shake the images in her head. As per usual when having a nightmare, she turned one last time to feel the warmth of the man besides her, except that this time, there was no one there to comfort her. Her hand moved to the spot where he was supposed to be, caressing the sheets slowly as she would him. _Damn you_ …

It had been four days since her lover had gone overboard, swept away by the sea to some unknown corner of the world. She could still remember it happening like it had just happened. During the storm, many had suffered injuries, but it was only him that was unaccounted for. The man had brought them to, quite literally, the other side of the world only to not get to set foot on land. The others had been diligent about searching for him, but they produced no results. Day in and day out, they would move up and down the coast looking for him. Every day that passed brought down the moral of the crew, and though no one spoke of it, she could see the hope vanishing from their eyes. Her, however, didn't think him dead. No, the connection they shared told her otherwise. Because of this, she would get little rest, sleeping only a few hours at a time and skipping one or two meals per day, hoping that just maybe she could spot him floating somewhere, grinning that stupid grin of his and acting like nothing had happened.

Her lips parted to let out a sigh. She missed him dearly, that was true. The others would give her looks of sympathy followed by either encouraging words and paths on the back everytime they saw her walking on deck. Part of her appreciated it, but then she would immediately scowl at them for talking to her as if she was a widow of some kind. In the whole ship, there were only five that treated her differently. Caleb, who had had become the captain of the ship, would always follow her intuition, sailing the ship to whatever direction she asked to go next, but he wouldn't talk to her out of shame in himself for what had happened, as it had been explained to her by a third party. He wasn't the only one to do so. Shaw, who would normally talk to the point she felt like slapping him upside the head, had become very silent and secluded. The merchant girl, Anna, she acted normally, trying to sell knick knacks around the crew and would joke around. Nowi would stick to her like sap, following her around and helping with whatever she could. It was sweet, but would get on the dark mage's nerves at times, especially when trying to go to sleep. She often wondered if that was the way a real little sister would act. Then again, it could also be that the girl was just trying to fill a void that had been filled and then emptied so fast by Robin.

And then there was Isabella, or Izzy as she was more commonly known. The archer had blamed herself repeatedly for what had happened, despite Tharja reminded her that it had been Robin's own fault for being careless. Still, it had taken its toll on Izzy. Afterall, she'd just seen the closest thing she had to family be taken away because he'd rescued her. They shared a special bond, Robin and the archer. He'd been the one that had first called her Izzy while she had been the one that nicknamed him Captain. This didn't make Tharja jealous as much as it once had because in the end, she was the only one he would call "love"; the only one he would kiss; the only one he would make love to.

After looking at the empty spot besides her for a while, she was finally able to drag herself up from the bed. She moved herself over to where she'd drapped her clothes and accessories, picking the items one at a time to put them on. The mesh that covered her whole body came on easily enough, as did the pieces that covered her more feminine bits. The cape she'd worn for so many years still felt warm to her touch. It was the first thing Robin had ever given to her… Sort of. Back then it was a cloak, but it had been far too big on her, so when she found herself with some extra time, she modified it. He never asked for it back nor complained about it when she'd shown it to him. He'd only chuckled and given her a smile. The memory was clear as day in her mind. The only thing she didn't like about it was that it'd lost his scent over the years.

She tied the knot on it so that it would fall freely over her shoulders and down her back before moving on to the next item. It was another of Robin's gifts. This one he'd _really_ given to her. A simple silver bracelet. A noble would look down upon a accessory of such simple design, being a plainly decorated piece held together by a small steel chain. To her, however, it was one of her most treasured possessions second only to her tome, which was saying much considering she'd had that tome for her entire life and amassed all the knowledge she had of the dark arts in it. The bracelet was another nice memory that she could and would carry around with her at all times.

The last item she was missing was newer. He'd taken her dagger from her for it, but she was overjoyed to have this instead. The dagger had no value to her and could always be replaced with a handful of silver coins. A memento? That was irreplaceable. And where the cape had lost all of Robin's scent, the shemgah still had enough to give her comfort. When he gave it to her he'd wrapped it around her head, but now she mostly wore it just around her neck like a muffler as she didn't spend as much time on the deck as those days she'd spent with him. It was perfect. Not only could she run her hands through it, but she could smell his scent at all times.

Feeling ready, she left the quarters to meet up with the rest of them. It had taken some convincing, but the night before she'd talked Caleb into anchoring the ship at a nearby port. The ship was comfortable as it allowed her privacy and a nice bed to sleep on, but she didn't like the feeling of helplessness she got from standing around all day and gazing out to sea. No, Tharja wasn't one to wait for the best. If she wanted something, she would go get it. It was this mindset that pushed her forward.

Every morning after leaving the captain's quarter's Nowi would come greet her, all smiles. When it didn't happen that morning, Tharja was left surprised. Taking a look around the deck, she could see the familiar faces of the rest of her companions, but the short, hooded figure of the energetic girl was nowhere to be found. Robin had told the girl that she could leave the ship and venture out on her own when they reached the port if that was what she wanted. It was possible that she'd simply left without a goodbye. That...didn't feel quite right. Though Tharja had only known her for a short time, she was sure that Nowi would stick with them after reaching Chon'sin. There had been no indication that she would be doing otherwise. Heck, she _acted_ happily enough around them, and they all were happy to have her too. The dark mage berated herself internally when the words she'd told Robin about the girl growing up came to her mind. Why should she care if Nowi had left, anyway? Everyone was free to do whatever they chose to do. None the less, she couldn't help feeling uneasy about not seeing the girl's smile that morning. Shaking the thought out of her head, she approached the group that had formed on the deck.

"All I'm saying is that if we are already here, we might as well sell some of our cargo before it goes bad," the dark mage heard Anna arguing with the others as she got closer. "It's not going to do us any good if things spoil while we look for Robin. If a few of you help me with the unloading, I can start selling it. Meanwhile, you lot can be out there looking for good old Rob-Rob. I might get some information out of the other merchants here that could come in handy in the future."

There was a mixed reception to the redhead's plan. Some looked thoughtful at the idea. It was true that much of the fruit they had onboard would spoil if it was left untouched. Not only that, but if they could get rid of the extra goods they had that was doing nothing more than taking up space and weighing them down, the ship would get some much needed speed. Tharja wasn't against the idea. It was well thought out and the smartest course of action they could take given their circumstances, but she could also see that there were some that were against it based on their frowns and stink eyes they gave the merchant girl.

"And we're supposed to just let you take everything from the boat and sell it by yourself?" Shaw asked, voicing the concern that was on the minds of a few. "Who's to say you won't take the gold and run after you are done? Gods know that wouldn't be the first time you do something like that. No, you and the goods are staying here where we can see them."

"That's a low blow, even for you, Shaw," said Gaius as he walked towards the swordsman, arms crossed and with some piece of candy on his mouth as per usual. There was no time of day that the ginger thief wouldn't be eating some sweet or another except when he was forced to eat meat and vegetables for health reasons. Tharja always wondered if someone had perhaps hexed him in the past, making him not only addicted to sweets, but also invulnerable to the side effect sugar could have when consumed in large doses. "What happened to trusting your companions? Just 'cus Bubbles ain't here doesn't mean that you can accuse people of whatever you feel like. Besides, without Robin and the old man here, Anna is the closest thing we have to a leader, and you know it."

"The Sugar Knight comes to defend the damsel in distress, oh my!" Anna giggled to herself, an index finger lightly pressing against her lower lip. Always ready to diffuse a situation, Anna took a step forward. "But even if what Gaius said about me being a leader is true, I don't see myself able to take up that role. Right now, all we can do is keep things going as best we can until we find Robin. Isn't that the reason Caleb took charge of the ship?

"I've been helping with this rebellion of ours not only as another sword, but also as Master of Coin because of the Captain's insistence. My family has spent generations mastering knowledge of economics. So let me do what I do best! And if I'm able to fill our coffers and even get my wallet a bit heavier in the process, who's to complain, no? But hey! If you still feel uneasy, how about some of you come with me? I could use the extra sets of hands~" Putting her hands behind her back and doing a dramatic turn to face Gaius, she gave him her best innocent smile. "I'm sure my little knight here will accompany me, right?"

The sweat was practically visible on the thief. He had taken a step back, but was forced to even lean back further when Anna took another step towards him. Looking defeated, he scratched the back of his head. "I guess…" he said weakly. "I'm getting sick of being out there all day long, to be honest. And my supply of sugary goodness is running low… I could also look for some information around town about Bubbles too."

"Is splittin' our man-power really the best decision, 'ere?" Caleb asked, looking conflicted towards the floorboards of the deck. "If we go back out there with fewer pairs of eyes to look out for 'im, we might miss the guy…"

"If you didn't want anyone to get off then why did you bring us to port?" Shaw asked. "We could have set anchor literally anywhere out there and just resumed the search at dawn."

"That's because I told him to do it," Tharja said, finally making her presence known. She'd been standing there for some time, but no one had acknowledged her. Shaw and Caleb looked at her, startled at what they probably thought was her sudden appearance. "We have been searching the sea blind for far too long with no results to show for all that effort. Instead of sailing in circles, I want to go into town to look for ingredients to perform a divination. By now, Robin would have washed ashore somewhere. Getting those ingredients may take some time, so feel free to go back out there and keep the search going, if that makes you feel better."

Her expertise with hexes was widely known through their ranks. Many a times there would be someone that would come to her to help them with something or another—be it related to their loved ones or to disease and phobias. She'd spent her whole life honing her craft through rigorous training and experimentation. So when she said she could use a hex to find out where Robin was, no one questioned whether it was possible or not. They accepted her word as truth, be it out of fear, like Shaw would, or out of trust. And knowing the kind of relationship she held with their leader, they had to know just how serious she was being.

"You goin' out there by yourself?" Caleb asked, showing some concern towards her. It was strange to see a man like him do such a thing. He reminded the dark mage of her own father, in a that was missing was her mother coming later and destroying the man's words, the two of them would be much too similar.

She eyed him for a second, one of her eyebrow rising slightly before she rolled her eyes. His concern was being misplaced. "Oh? You think I'm too _weak_ to fend for myself? Of course I am going alone. In case you forgot, no one here but me knows what they need to look for. Having more than one person go into an ingredient shop will get us noticed more than we already are. Besides, weren't you the one complaining about not having enough people on the ship to look for him in the first place? I will be fine on my own," she reassured him, holding her lazily tome with her right hand in front of her. "I can defend myself better than most."

"Wait a minute," said another voice. Tharja turned to look at the owner—a white mage by the name of Petra. This woman was almost the complete opposite of herself not just in the type of path they took with their magic, but also physically. Tharja was of fair skin, was on the shorter side, and had long raven hair. Petra on the other hand had rich-caramel skin, was taller than most men, and had short—except for a single braid that was neatly tucked behind her left ear—blonde hair that spoke of her Feroxi roots. Even their clothes couldn't be any more different, with the latter wearing white robes that cover her entire body except for her arms. The two had hardly talked outside of battle, so when the blonde spoke up, Tharja was a bit surprised. "I know why no one has mentioned it until now, but… We should consider the possibility that Robin could be in a better place now…"

"Robin still lives, and you are lucky he isn't here right now. He isn't fond of the gods," the dark mage responded, shooting a glare at the white mage. "He is too stubborn to die. If you don't believe me, you can ask Izzy about it. If you think that I'm only speaking with my heart, then you would be wrong. I am sure of this because I made a divination days before the storm came. In it I saw all of us standing in this port. We stood with weapons in our hands, looking ready to march."

No other word had to be said for everyone to agree on what they would do. Tharja, Anna, Gaius, and a few others would go into town to settle whatever their business was. In the meantime, Caleb would take the rest of the crew and set sail once again to keep up with the search. He would return by sundown. They would be meeting then to decide on what their next course of action should be. It would all depend on the outcome of Tharja's divination.

The group that stood on the port looked on as the crew lifted up the anchor, undid the ropes that tied them to the port, and brought down the sail. The ship slowly build up momentum as the wind blew, making the sail dance away until it was secured properly. Some of the people on the ship looked back at the pier as the ship moved away, waving at the comrades that they were leaving behind. Some of them waved back, but not Tharja. The notion of saying goodbye when knowing that they would meet up again in half a day was stupid. People were being over dramatic. It wasn't the first time they had seen their friends set off, and it sure wasn't going to be the last.

The raven walked towards the town without notice. She knew that if she stayed with them for too long, she would be roped into helping Anna move the cargo around town all day. There were better things for her to do, to quote Anna herself. All she had to do was find a shop that sold ingredients for hexes or an open-air market, both of which weren't common sights in small towns. This one wasn't a small town. It wasn't big enough to be called a city, but it was too large to be called a town. Having a port with many merchant ships that bore flag from both Valm and Ylisse meant that there had to be merchants with all kinds of goods up for sale. If there were manakete claws to be found anywhere in the immediate area, it would be in there.

Expecting a country on a different continent to be similar to Plegia was a mistake. Chon'sin was...interesting. The streets and architecture were vastly different, but what Tharja noticed the most were the people. They all worse a similar style of clothing—a strange kind of dress with loose sleeves—made out of cotton or silk, if she had to guess. The fabric was useful to separate the normal workforce from those that had more gold and influence. There was also the fact that those that wore the cotton clothes often had the sleeves rolled up, leaving their toned arms in plain view. These people covered their entire bodies. She knew that because of this, their eyes kept wandering towards her—both men and women looked her up and down. It didn't bother her, but it did look like those around her were bothered by it. From the scowls of some women to the reddened cheeks of men, these were just some of the faces that looked at her.

After going up a several streets, she came up to the first store that looked promising. She entered the small shop without a care in the world. The place was small. Boxes were lined up along the walls with different labels of ingredients used for both hexing and cooking. Rabbit ears, bat wings, a number of different salts and spices, it looked like they had anything. The only thing she couldn't see in the open was a label for the one thing she was looking for. That was when an old lady called out to her from the back. "My, we don't get many visitors around here these days," the old woman said, delighted at the prospect of someone coming in, "especially someone so young! And such a beauty you are! But I also detect a dark aura around you, my dear. You use the dark arts. So tell me dear, what can this old woman do for you?"

Tharja for once was glad that someone could tell so quickly she was a dark arts practitioner. It would help move things along and skip the usual discussion of the seller asking her if she knew what she what every ingredient she was buying was used for or, even at times, what it was called. She approached the old woman cautiously just in case, holding her tome over her chest. "I need manakete claws."

"Manakete claws?" The woman repeated. "Now that's a surprise! Young ones always come here looking for love potions and fertility charms. Then there are a few ladies that will come for a charm that will help them _not_ get pregnant. Oh, youth…"

The woman closed her eyes as if she was reminiscing of her better days. Tharja's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the woman. It was until she coughed twice that the woman was brought back to reality. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to go on a tangent like that. Manakete claws, manakete claws." She brought out a small, worn book where a long list of records were kept. She ran a shaky, bony finger across the pages, looking for an answer. A minute passed. Then another. Before Tharja knew it, she'd spent close to a turn of an hourglass there, the hope that she had of doing business quick vanished.

"I'm sorry, dear," the old woman said again, closing the book. "We sold our last bit of them days ago. We normally keep an extra supply in hand for emergencies, but it looks like we sold that one too…" Tharja let out a sigh. "If you are not in a hurry, I can talk with some people I know about getting some for you. It could take a few days-"

"I don't have a few days," Tharja responded much harsher than she had wanted to. She tried to hide her eyes with her bangs, not wanting to show her true emotions. "I… Someone very important to me was lost at sea not long before I got here. I know he still lives, but we've searched for him ever since that day with no results…"

"Losing a loved one can be difficult. From your urgency I sense that this "important person" of yours is more than just that. Isn't he?"

Was she really letting on to that much? Tharja didn't think so. This woman, maybe because of her age, _knew_ the telltale signs just by looking at her; those signs that were impossible to hide. "...He is my soulmate…"

"I see," the woman said warmly. "Yes… Then, there might still be something I can do to help you. A few streets down from here, on the other side of town, lives an old shaman. He and I have known each other for a long time… I remember him having a complete manakete claw in his study. Go to him and tell him that ol'granny asked him to sell it to you. He'll understand."

Tharja looked at the woman, both surprised and skeptical about the woman's kindness when she received a piece of paper containing directions for getting to the shaman's house. "Why would you go that far for someone you've just met?"

"I too lost my soulmate long ago," the old woman confessed without breaking her caring smile. "Back then, I knew that he was alive too. I did everything I could to get to him, but by the time I did, it was too late… If I can help someone avoid the pain I felt that day—even a stranger—then I will do everything in my power to do so." She smiled. "All I ask is that, after you find him, bring him here so that I can meet the man that has stolen your heart so."

All Tharja could do was nod at the woman. She wasn't making a difficult request. Though, Robin would have many questions when brought there. With nothing else to say, the slender woman walked out of the store, the old woman calling after her to watch herself and to be careful around town. With a new destination in mind, she kept on walking. Not surprisingly, the eyes of passerbyers were kept on her again, but she ignored them. It was humorous, in a way. She wondered how many of the men would get scolded for looking at her with those lewd eyes.

Walking with more haste on every step, she moved from the big streets to ones with much less crowds. They had thinned out so much that she could only see a few people every block—mostly women with their children. It was here that she heard a voice that didn't belong with the rest of them. It sounded to a struggle between a man and a girl to her. She found her step slowing down, coming to a stop where there was a fork in the road. If she went left, she would get to the shaman's place. If she went right, she would get closer to that struggle. _It's probably just a brat that's disobeying their parent,_ she thought. She was gritting her teeth as she eyed her two choices. The shaman wasn't going anywhere. On the other hand, if there was someone in trouble, the help couldn't wait… Against her better judgement, she took the path to her right.

"C'mon, don't be like that," came the voice of the man. "I just wanna play a lil'. Nothin' wrong with that!"

The two figure came clearly into view when she turned a corner. The man had managed to get the girl to go down a hallway, just out of view, though with their voices traveling through the silent streets it was pointless. The man had his back to Tharja. All she could tell was that he didn't look all that imposing. Against a full grown woman, he would stand no chance. That had to be why he was going for small prey as- "Nowi?"

"Eh?" The man turned around to face her, his hand wrapped around one of Nowi's wrist. The man's cheeks and nose were red from intoxication. Whether he was drunk from drinking all morning or still drunk from the night before was hard to say. All that was certain was that the drunken stupor had made him violent and confident in himself. "The fuck you suppos' to be, ha?"

Tharja looked at the man like she would an annoying insect. Her eyes had always been piercing. It was part of why many had stayed away from her through her youth. Normally, with a man like that, a look was all that would be needed for him to scramble. But with liquid courage running through his veins, she would need to do more than that. She kept walking towards them. "Let go of her. _Now_."

The man ogled her like some piece of meat. His eyes ran up and down her body several times. He was practically salivating just from looking at her. A grin spread across his face as she came to a stop a few step away from him. Nowi was still trying her best to get away from the man's grasp, but it wasn't working. Taking a step forward, he said, "you want this brat? You can have 'er. Buuuuut, then I'm gonna take you fer a bit and have some fun!"

He quickly moved his free hand towards the raven. It landed on her hip, the thin fabric that covered her body being the only thing that separated his skin from hers. He grin got wider as he squeezed. Savoring every moment, his hand started traveling up her body. He got past her waist, and was heading towards her breast when she chuckled, her own lips turning into a wicked smile. "You've had your fun," she said, causing him to stop just below her breast and look at her in stupor. "Now it's my turn."

All it took was a flick from a single finger. The movement made the tendrils of the Flux spell she had casted without the man noticing to shoot up from the floor. They wrapped around both of his wrists, his neck, and just above his knees. She could see that he was in pain. She took a step back to get a better look at him. His hands were already changing color from the lack of blood flow. He let go of Nowi too, who fell to the ground with a soft thud. With another flick of the same finger, the tendrils pulled him down to the ground, his face hitting hard against the cobblestone road. He cried out in pain, looking up at her from the ground. "That's a better place for your kind," the black mage told him. "Thinking you are stronger because you are bigger. Men can be so stupid."

Without hesitation, he stepped on the hand the man had used to touch her with enough force to crack a few bones. The man cried once again in pain as he looked at the state of his hand. "That's for thinking you could touch me without consequence. I only allow Robin to do that and get away with it." The man cared little about that last statement. He was too busy crying for his crushed hand.

Ignoring him, Tharja walked past him and towards Nowi, who was looking at the man still. The raven stopped near her and extended her hand towards the girl. Nowi looked unsure as to whether she should take it or not. Hesitantly, she took the hand. Tharja pulled the girl up to her feet and, without letting go of her, started walking back the way she came, Nowi struggling to keep up with the raven's stride.

"Big sis? Slow down a little," Nowi pleaded behind her, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Despite her composed exterior, her heart was racing much faster than she wanted it to. She was too concentrated on slowing down her heart that she couldn't hear anything at all. "Big Sis? Tharja…? Hey, can you hear me?"

It would take her some time to recover and go back to her usual self. When she did, she let go of Nowi's hand—gods knew how long she'd been holding onto it—and turned to look at her with a scowl. "What were you thinking leaving the ship by yourself? Are you that much of a fool to go out and get captured _again_?"

Nowi flinched, looking abashed. She couldn't even hold the eye contact that Tharja was giving her. She looked down at the ground instead. "When we came to port, I thought I could go out and find some manakete claws for you… I remember you telling Big Bro that you had used all you had to make the divination before, and I… I just thought that maybe if I could find some for you, you could do that again and we could find Robin…"

Tharja let out a frustrated sigh, pulling her tome close to her chest. Nowi's heart was in the right place. Tharja appreciated the sentiment, but that didn't excuse her from being so stupid about her own safety. "And how _exactly_ were you planning on getting them if you found them? In case you've forgotten, you have no gold. You need to think before you act," the dark mage scolded. "At the very least you should have let someone know what you were planning so that they would go with you. A prepubescent girl shouldn't walk around on her own in a place she doesn't know. "

"B-But I did get them!" Nowi looked up to meet her eyes. From under her cloak, she brought out a bag and held it out to her friend. Tharja wasn't amused. She _knew_ that there was no way that the girl would have obtained the claws that simply, especially after she had learned that there weren't any around town except for the single one that the so-called shaman had. But she was also curious. Perhaps the girl couldn't recognize between a manakete's claw and any other animal claw. She took hold of the bag gingerly, just in case. Undoing the knot of the leather strap that held the bag together, she opened it to take a look at the contents. He jaw dropped a fraction. Indeed, the bad held manakete claws—from small clippings to complete claws of different sizes—it was impossible to deny the magical aura that they had or to even mistake it for that of another animal. But then, how could Nowi have gotten so many of them? Where a small bag would be considered to be worthless if it contained any other ingredient, it being full of manakete nails gave it a price of a few gold and silver coins, at least.

"Where did you get these, Nowi?" She questioned as she redid the knot on the bag. If someone were to see them handling it with so little care they could steal it. "I've been searching around town, looking for manakete nails since the early hours of the morning. Even in a place like this, there aren't many places where you could get manakete nails. And the one place that _could_ have them had been sold out of them for days…"

The girl laughed nervously and tried to feign ignorance, but when she saw that Tharja wasn't going to let the topic go so easily, she tried to explain, "...I left the ship way before anyone woke up. I wanted to explore town a little. It's been awhile since I've had the chance to do so… And while I was at it, I thought I would look out for manakete claws, like I said before. I happened to stumble upon a trader that had just arrived to town and he had that bag with him-"

"Lies," said Tharja, looking down at the girl no longer in suspicion, but in anger. "Don't think you can lie to me so easily. There are very few people that can lie to my face and go unnoticed. Your story doesn't explain how you got a hold of the claws. You have no coin, unless you stole some from someone else. You don't have the aura of a thief like the sugar fiend does. I doubt you could do that much even if you tried. So now...the truth."

Nowi had taken a step back. She probably thought that Tharja wouldn't be asking so many questions, or more like _demanded_ answers she hadn't prepared beforehand. The girl was showing her age by the way she was acting. It was as if she had been caught by her mother eating sweets before dinner. Her lips pressed hard, forming a thin line. She wasn't smiling, nor was she frowning. It looked like she was debating on what to do next. Finally deciding on what to say, she look down at the ground, finding the scattered pebbles to be less intimidating than Tharja's gaze, and said, "I've had those with me for some time… I found them hidden on the ship… Before they captured me, I had them with me too. I, ugh… I collected them…"

Tharja remained silent. So far, she could tell that every word Nowi had spoken was the truth. That wasn't all that the girl had to say, though. She continued, "The truth is, there was more to it than what Robin had said when you guys first found me… I… I'm actually a manakete!"

When Tharja still showed doubt in her words, Nowi pulled down her hood to show her the undeniable proof. For a second time, she found herself feeling surprised. Her eyes widened as she looked at her. When Nowi had her hood up, Tharja and the others had caught glimpse of her hair. Because they had been glimpse, she assumed the color she saw had been of blonde hair. She was mistaken. What she was seeing was a head full of green hair. _Green_. And then there were the ears. Where a human ear would be short and oval shaped, Nowi's ears extended far back with a pointed end. The ears were enough to show she was a manakete—no other known species had ears quite like those. The hair told of her heritage. Her being captured, it now made sense.

"...You are a Divine Dragon…" Nowi nodded slowly, looking nervous at her. With the surprise also came realisation. Of all the dragon tribes that Nowi could have belonged to, she _had_ to be from the Divine Dragon Tribe. Tharja pulled the the manakete's hood back up to cover her ears and hair, eliciting a yelp from the greenette. "Don't let _anyone_ see you like that," she warned Nowi. "We already told you that we live in the worst time to be a manakete. Being a _Divine_ one surrounded by Plegians puts you that much more in danger. Many of them suffered because of Naga. If they find out about you..."

"Is it really that bad?" Nowi looked down, looking almost disappointed. "But it's not like me being a manakete makes me a different person! I'm still me. I just _happen_ to be the kind you guys- Wait… You said that Plegians don't like my kind, but you are Plegian and you are okay with me, right? You haven't attacked me yet, and you are even standing here with me, helping."

Tharja snorted, turning around to keep walking. "I didn't lose anything during the war," she said when she heard the sound of Nowi's steps by her side. "I was born and raised in a different part of Plegia—to the east. The crusade never made it that far. The west took the brunt of it, being the border with the enemy. I hate the Ylisseans for what they did to the others, especially to my Robin. But even then, my feelings are shallow compared to theirs."

The two remained silent for a while, the sound of their steps the only thing that they could hear. Nowi looked like she was trying to decipher a difficult riddle. She'd been overwhelmed with information that revealed how at risk she truly was. If there was a time that she had thought about leaving the Plegians behind like Robin had said before, it had to be then. The greenette was fidgeting with her hands as if piecing together a puzzle when she asked, "...do you think Robin will be okay with it?"

Her voice had been low, yet charged with sorrow. Tharja looked over at the girl. She could see that it was eating her from inside. "You can only be sure if you tell him yourself," Tharja said. "I've known him for years and I still can't decipher him entirely. He is our leader, but you would be surprised at how little some of the others know about his past. They are attracted by his charisma and his personal ideology. They think that the man in front of them is a whole, when they only see a part of him. I know because I was like them too.

"What I can tell you is that if he still thinks well of you after you tell him—if you decide on telling him—then the others will accept you too. His word will cover for you partially. You are still a manakete. There is nothing that can drive people into making wrong decisions like money and love. You need to decide whether you will stay after learning all that, or leave on your own. Robin said we should give you supplies if you decided on leaving. At least that would be one less thing for you to worry about."

Silence took over them once again. Tharja had even noticed that they been walking aimlessly for quite some time. She had a lot on her mind to bother looking at the people that were throwing glances towards them. Her stomach was what broke her train of thought. She hadn't had anything to eat all day, and seeing as Nowi had left the ship before her, she probably was hungry too. Without a word, she changed the direction she was heading to walk towards the nearest restaurant there was, Nowi following behind her like a lost puppy. They had just entered the establishment when the raven heard someone call out for her.

"Yo, Sunshine," came the voice of the sugar thief. He wasn't alone either. Upon his greeting, the others turned around to look at her and Nowi. The six of them were seated on the floor, around a short table. They had drinks in front of them, which told the dark mage that they had gotten themselves gold for the cargo. She wasn't sure whether to be glad she found them, or annoyed that she would have to eat with them. Either way, the option was out of her hands when Anna beckoned her and the greenette to join them for a meal.

"I'm surprised to see you two together," said Anna with her trademark smile as she played with her half empty cup. "I don't remember seeing you two leaving the ship together. Did you just bump into each other on the way? Actually, that's not important. Tell me, Tharja, did you find what you were looking for? Because if not maybe I can cash in on a few favors~"

How the redhead already had merchants indebted to her in the few hours since she arrived was a complete mystery. That woman was frightening with the way she played people. Like a spider, her words were as beautiful and attractive as a well woven spider-web, but also dangerous if you were stupid enough to get too close and you were and insect. All that aside, Tharja decided to just answer her before she found herself roped into some scheme she didn't want to be a part of. "We found them, yes. Now all I need are the rest of the ingredients that are on the ship and some time to put it all together."

"We're going to be waiting for Muscles here, then," said Gaius as he stretched his back. "Might as well make the best of this place. It'll take them a few hours to get back to port. With all the carrying around we did, I could use a break. A break full of delicious sweet and maybe something to drink too would be nice."

The conversation moved on without her. She listened to her comrades talk about menial things like they would back in Plegia. It was comforting in a way to see them go back to being the group she didn't much like, as odd as the idea was. Normally, she would distance herself from them all by going to do something on her own or by stealing Robin away, but with him gone and nowhere else to be, she was forced to be with them, for better or worse. Even Nowi was fitting in. Despite their talk earlier, she seemed to be doing well not letting on to her secret. There were a few moments, rare and far in between—that the manakete showed caution. She would hold onto her cowl when someone accidentally brushed an arm against it. She would also stir away the conversation from herself, only answering questions with brisk answers that were enough to satisfy the others, but that didn't let on to her past. Tharja kept an eye on the greenette, wondering if she would truly be happy if she stayed with them or live in fear because the prospect of being alone was too much for her to handle.

Food was served eventually—when it had been ordered, Tharja didn't know. It consisted of mostly rice and a variety of fish… Raw fish. She had never thought about eating raw fish before. Taking a look around, she noticed that _no one_ had touched a single piece. They were all stuffing their faces with rice (they had been given forks by the waitress, though the other patrons had what looked like two small sticks as utensils,) waiting for someone else to take the first hit before trying the odd dish themselves. The fish looked pleasant. It was displayed in an almost beautiful manner, like a piece of art. The smell wasn't all that bad either, which was surprising. It had to be fresh for that to be possible, maybe caught that same morning.

And it didn't taste that bad either. The texture was something she would need some getting used to, like many of the other things in that side of the world, but the food was edible. The others had been staring at her, studying her reaction to the dish. She just stared back at them, having a little fun with not letting them know what she thought about it. It was only after she took another pieces that the rest started eating them themselves.

They spent hours in the restaurant, mostly drinking, chatting, and getting annoyed looks from the people that were trying to have a meal in peace. When the time came for them to head out, Anna was the one that paid for it all, leaving the exact amount of coins needed a just a tad extra for the troubles after the others pushed her to. They left the place content and with their bellies full. Gaius was able to get some extras for the ship's crew, saying, ironically, that they needed to eat something different once in awhile.

The ship was waiting for them when they got back, with Caleb and Petra looking down and waving at them from side of the ship. Tharja didn't waste any time, deciding to head directly for the captain's quarters to begin the preparations for the divination instead of staying on the deck with the rest, telling each other what she already knew; Robin was still lost. _For now_.

The room was exactly as she left it. Caleb was the captain, but even he knew better than going in and touching her things without her permission. It wasn't just dangerous because she _would_ find out, but because she had ingredients and concoctions that were dangerous if mishandled, something they had learned long ago when Shaw had been snooping through Robin's room back home.

She quickly cleared the large desk, pushing aside the maps and texts that had been laid there before they had taken the ship from the navy. She needed that space. Next, she gathered the materials she needed. The manakete claws and clippings that Nowi had gifted her, herbs of many kinds, colors, and shapes, and other creature bits like bee stingers, the tail of a rattlesnake, and the eye of a feline, to name a few. She also needed something that belonged to Robin. She had his sword and her makeshift muffler, but she didn't want to grind does down. Luckily, he'd slept on the bed in that room for days. Finding a few hair strands was no trouble. And finally, the last thing she needed was her crystal orb, which she placed in the middle of the desk.

Her years of working on hexes made her movements methodical. She grind the ingredients into a fine powder, mixing them perfectly. She'd done this countless times. She no longer required a scale to see how much to add. She could do it all by memory and feel. When the powder was to her standards, she poured it into a clear glass bottle that had an active base. The reaction changed the color of the liquid from clear to pink to purple. The mixture was then poured on top of the crystal orb, covering completely. Putting both her hands on it, the reaction started to occur.

The surface of the crystal absorbed the mixture as Tharja imbue it with her magic. It lost its transparency, instead looking more like a spherical, purple mist. She closed her eyes, picturing Robin in her head. When she opened her eyes, the mist slowly cleared, revealing an image for her to read. She felt a smile pulling at her lips as warmth spread across her chest. She could see Robin there, clear as day. Oh, how handsome he looked! She wished the divination would allow her to reach out to her other half and at least stroke his cheeks, but alas, that she could not do.

He was riding on a horse, a spear on his hand. Behind him followed two figures, also on horses. _Women_ , she assumed, seeing that they both had long hair. _Oh, my love, you better be careful… Or I might just have to kill you_. She also noticed the direction of the sun and the moon where in the image. He was heading south...west? She let out a small laugh of joy before taking a deep breath, feeling like she could finally breath again. No… He wasn't just heading southwest. He was heading towards _them!_

The others were waiting for her when she came out of the room. They were all looking at her, hoping that she would tell them some good news about their leader. They held their tongues expectantly as she walked towards them. Truth be told, she had to hide her eyes under her bangs to not cry out to them that she had been right. They would be seeing Robin soon enough. When she stopped at the edge of their circle, Izzy worked out the courage to speak up. With a shaky voice, she asked, "s-so…? Were you… Did you see him...?"

For once, she smiled when the others were around. It wasn't a smile filled with malice. No, this was a warm smile that would normally be reserved for only Robin to see. She could already see the smiled spreading across the others, but they still looked at her, waiting for a confirmation. "He is coming here," she told them, and almost immediately, they cheered as if they had just won the hardest battle of their lives.

Izzy ran to her and hugged her, much to Tharja's surprise. It was an uncomfortable hug for her, but she didn't pull away, knowing that it was what the girl needed. The archer's knees were shaking and her tears were damping the dark mage's cloak, but she still didn't pull away.

"What do we do now?" Caleb asked as the rest of them calmed themselves down. It served as a reminder that just because Robin was alive it didn't mean that they knew what they should do next. "We ought to go lookin' for 'im or somethin', right?"

"He was traveling by horse and away from shore," Tharja said as she lightly pushed Izzy away so that she too could hear the conversation. "If you tried getting to him by ship, you will likely miss him. Then there is the chance that you are hit by another storm. We would need to go on foot, but that would leave the ship vulnerable. Someone could take it without us knowing if we all left."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Petra asked, crossing her arms. She wasn't being confrontational. Her answer showed true confusion.

"I'm planning on leaving to meet him halfway. I will be fine on my own. The rest of you should stay here with the ship and wait for us to return. You can continue selling the cargo and looking for information that could be useful for us later."

"If you are leaving, then I'm going with you," said Nowi, balling her hands into small fists and stretching them above her head. "I want to meet with Robin tooooo!"

Tharja was ready to deny the manakete on the spot, but stopped herself before doing so. Despite what she was saying, it could be that the greenette also wanted to go with her because she was afraid to be on her own with the others. But more than the true reasoning behind it, Tharja thought that Nowi could come in useful. Another body, even a small one like that one, could help carry provisions, possibly Robin's sword.

"I'll go too," said Izzy. "I won't rest easy until I see that Cap is okay. The sooner I see him, the sooner I can apologize. I won't take no for an answer."

"Then I'll go too," said Petra, looking confident. "You lot are bound to find yourselves in trouble sooner or later. A healer is what you need."

"Four women walking out there on their own in a strange land? Does sound troublesome," said Shaw. "I'll go too. I can be the front-liner in case of an attack."

"Hmmm, that still sounds like trouble to me," teased Gaius. I'll go in case there are any locks that need picking. And if we find any extravagant sweets along the way, well, happy coincidence."

And so, without asking, the group had formed up. The next morning, the group of six set off from the port city, heading northwest to meet up with their missing leader.

* * *

A Tharja chapter, yes. After I wrote the one-shot, I felt like writing what was going on their side. I had some fun with it. It's always interesting to get into character of (my version) of Tharja. You'll see I played around with a lot of stuff that I either mentioned before or that the game mentions but never elaborates (i.e. divination.)

There is a new character too! Sorry for those that don't like OCs... It always bothered me that in a game like FE, almost the entire cast on your side is white. Basilio, Flavia, and Vaike are the only exception (Vaike is more tan, though... I think.) I also wanted to make a more bad ass healer. I don't know about you guys, but whenever I watch an anime or read a story (not FF,) healers are always portrayed as people that want to saaaave the world, and super weak. Screw that! I want someone that will refuse to heal you if you do something stupid, like in an mmo!

Nowi's secret is out of the bag. I was tempted to go heavy into that, but I want to stretch that out. With the perspective being locked to one character, it's difficult to show what exactly is going on in her little head in a single chapter. Also, a bit more drama there that I'm sure you guys picked on.

And to finish it, the party to look for Robin is now on. I did this so that I could get to some of these characters sooner. It also helps me not come up with a ton of OCs to fill the spots...although, there _will_ be more showing up in the future. Can't say how important they all will be. They could die from one chapter to the next. Then again, so could canon characters.

Review responses!

 **potatoman098** -A lot of it has to do with cultural differences. The way commoner would act around Gangrel would be way different than the way Say'ri and Yen'fay were, same for Emmeryn, Chrom, and Lissa. Libra is one of those characters that I've never used in the game, but I liked from reading his supports on the wiki. I think he has a lot of potential is played right. Of course, this is a different version of the character to better fit the story, but I want to give him a shot at having an important role in one of my stories. I always end up with a dark knight Robin. So OP. I think if you go for the item drop the most, then yeah, lances and axes are your way to go. But unless you are playing on the hardest difficulty, money is no real problem to get.

 **Guest (Ch3-Dec1)** -That's pretty much it. Though in the one-shot she barely looks unaffected by it, it did leave behind something that she has to learn to deal with. It's a personal challenge that I think will be interesting to see her fight through.

 **Guest (Ch3-Dec1) [other]** -I think you will enjoy this chapter then. I was already writing this chapter when I saw your review. Made me smile, haha.


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